Deathgrind is not necessarily a metal subgenre known for experimentation. Yet Feed Them Death revel in subverting expectations. Their new record, Panopticism: Belong/Be Lost is a relentlessly forward-thinking offering. Feed Them Death emerged in 2017 as a side project for Void, one of the founders of Antropofagus. This is their second record, a huge step forward for the band, and their first release on the always excellent I, Voidhanger Records. It sees the band leaning further into some of their more avant-garde tendencies, and bringing touches of black metal and noise into their already raw deathgrind. The end result is music that borders on terrifying. There are just so many layers on Panopticism: Belong/Be Lost to pick apart. However, there are two key components that make it special: the production and, of course, the songwriting. These unite to forge a truly formidable effort.
None of this would make sense if it weren’t for top-notch production. The ebbs and flows on a track like "Scar?" are nicely underscored by blasts of distorted noise. A lesser band might sound confused, but for Feed Them Death this is just business as usual. It speaks to the continued creativity of the band that they handily decimate the psyche with theremins and blast beats galore. Meanwhile, the build-up on the intro for "Lotusbluthen III" perfectly hints at the madness to come. This doesn’t even touch on how hard it would be to mix a record that so elegantly ties together elements of disparate genres. The fact that Feed Them Death makes it all work through the ongoing use of harsh noise rather than more conventional compositional techniques just makes it more impressive.
This of course ties in nicely to the overarching power of the songwriting. The sludgy "For Our Insolent Dead" is a fitting counterpoint to some of the more conventional deathgrind grooves that dominate the record. This is what makes the whole thing so interesting though. On the one hand, there are riffs that wouldn’t feel out of place on an Exhumed record. Meanwhile, the band is able to lean into Merzbow-esque levels of noisy filth. The ability to completely slow it down and choke out the listener with the intervening moments of sludge just makes it all the more dangerous. The band has clearly expended a lot of energy in making Panopticism: Belong/Be Lost not just a diverse stunner but also a clearly thought out journey.
Suffice it to say, Feed Them Death isn’t necessarily a record that will click on first listen. Why it might not even fully click until the fifth or sixth spin. Each time one goes through this record there are new elements to discover. It could be the groove grind riffs on "Anti-Modernist Extradition" or the screeching theremin on ‘Scars?’ that captures the attention on any given listen. Through it all though they have crafted something truly cohesive. Feed Them Death revels in their ability to fuse a variety of extreme music elements into something endlessly exciting. After all – what more could a fan of forward-thinking metal ask for?
Score: 8/10
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