Review Summary: Terrorstorm!
Entheos -
Primal EP
Featuring three members of past-Animosity fame, Entheos is a four piece deathcore act releasing their first EP,
Primal. The band plays a style of metal heavily reminiscent of Animosity’s final album and it’s none more apparent on opening track ‘Specific Meaning in a Group of Dots’, with guitarist Frank Costa immediately breaking out the riffage and chugging that was featured heavily on
Animal, bassist Evan Brewer and drummer Navene Koperweis following along at a breakneck pace. Vocalist Chaney Crabb’s signature vocal style adopts a low-end howl throughout most of the EP that attacks just as frantically as the rest of the group. Entheos is at their best when keeping the tempo at a near frenetic level, Kosta’s start/stop style of riffs following along perfectly with Koperweis’ technical approach to the drum kit. Brewer seems obsessed with making his life more complicated than it has to be; some of the licks that he plays along to with Kosta can be almost mind boggling quick, with none more apparent than on track ‘Primal’. The production of the EP puts nearly member on an equal level, Brewer’s bass can be heard nearly equally with Kosta’s guitar work, but this can also serve to drown Crabb’s vocals in the mix. Many times throughout the runtime of the EP Crabb seems somewhat of an afterthought and it’s anyone’s guess what her lyrics possibly might be: it’s incredibly tough to get a gauge just how well she is as a vocalist. Though, as with any deathcore vocalist, she possesses a wide range of vocal styles that go from guttural lows to screeching highs, 'Chemical Flashbacks' being the best example of her vocal range.
If Entheos’ strengths as a group shine when they’re at their most technical, the EP’s faults are at their most apparently when the band tries to slow the pace down at all. More so on ‘Chemical Flashbacks’ and ‘Form and Void’, the usage of synths and drum machines can sound somewhat out of place and awkward. But don’t let these problems turn you off to the group at all as they are only minor and don’t take away from the overall experience of the short run time. Entheos deliver a level of musicianship, brutality, and technicality that’s sorely lacking in this particular genre. Old fans of Animosity will be pleasantly surprised at this four-track EP and new listeners will be craving more by the time it ends.
