Review Summary: Uncontrolled bowel movement may result...
You know those types of bands that, upon first listen, your heart starts to race and in your head you think, ‘Holy crap, where the hell have these guys been my whole life?’ Well Enabler is definitely one of those kinds of bands, for sure. Oh boy, it’s truly hard to give this band credit, as their influences range from all over the spectrum of the hardcore genre. This Milwaukee band offers 2010 with eight tracks of non-stop heavy music that ranges from Jane Doe-era hardcore, to early Entombed style buzz-saw metal, in the form of their latest album,
Eden Sank to Grief.
First off, Enabler is not for the light hearted. Right from the very opening track ‘
Mercenary’, the listener is immediately brought to attention with hardcore inspired d-beat drumming, and Pig Destroyer-esque guitar work. It seriously doesn’t let up; Eden Sank to Grief is about the musical equivalent to being boiled alive, tarred and feathered. It’s messy, it’s gritty and in the end you’ll be wondering if the best thing you should do is either listen to it again or take a long hot shower to clean yourself up. Drawing directly from the spirit of Jane Doe-esque Converge, the track ‘
Black Friday From Hell’ is a highlight of the album, featuring spastic drum work that could have been a near perfect representation of said album if not for the incredibly heavy outro felt at the end. ‘
Renegrendades’ is another stellar track, laced with both metallic Reign Supreme style hardcore, coupled with an immensity that only the doom genre can bring, it further features the versatility of Enabler as a band.
In essence, Eden Sank to Grief is a showcase album. While predominantly a grind/hardcore album, Enabler have also used their talents on this album to show off nearly every style of extreme metal there is. Whether you’re a fan of metalcore giants Converge, a hardcore bro of Terror fame, a droning disciple of Worship, or a grinder like Pig Destroyer, or even a purist in the vein of Entombed, this album is the one for you. Any fan of said bands should immediately add this to their collection, it really is worth it. For a new band like Enabler, the future seems very bright indeed.
