Review Summary: very heavy
There is very little reason to describe
A Tear in the Fabric of Life as anything other than ‘very heavy’. The surprise EP comprises a twenty one minute onslaught of guitars tuned into the goddamn soil, a
mildly distressed vocalist and a rhythm section seemingly prepared to burn down a decent amount of cathedrals. While remaining rooted in Knocked Loose’s brand of
pretty heavy hardcore, the songs branch out into other
even heavier genres to great effect. ‘God Knows’ implements a cataclysmic black metal section; ‘Forced to Stay’ descends into the deathened depths of post metal during its final half. Did I mention it’s all very heavy?
The record is easily the band’s strongest output yet: as Knocked Loose have always attempted to encapsulate the darkest, most destructive sounds known to man,
A Tear in the Fabric of Life finds them matching the intensity of the music with that of the lyrical content. Detailing a story of devastating grief, each breakdown serves both as a cathartic release of agony as well as an intensifier of that very pain. While there are things to be said about the band’s somewhat unsustainable trajectory, you won’t want to out such doubts while the EP is successfully trying to crush anything within its proximity. Culminating in ‘Permanent’s abrasive finale,
A Tear in the Fabric of Life’s violence may be over, but its
very heavy annihilation is bound to linger a little longer.
