IMBALANCE – Bestial By Nature

This Norwegian Thrash/Death quartet impressed greatly with their previous EP/demo Burial of Consciousness, as mentioned in big words several times on this site, and, although maybe a tad weaker than Burial …, Bestial by Nature is another very likeable release. The band has gone for a bit more straightforward approach this time, although there’s still finesse in the music, and this three song EP consists of 8-minutes of raw power. The entire band is credited for both songwriting and production duties.

The band’s performance is overall very tight and convincing, and singer Harald is well on his way to perfecting a completely unique vocal style – dirty, powerful, but still articulate. The awe-wielding pairing of Anders and Thormodr also put down some very cool stuff on this release, the riffing is razor sharp, and the Slayer-ish solos fit the music perfectly. The title track even sees them enter Nevermore territories with some very cool, melodic, riffs. When Welle, as well as Harald (who also handles bass duties) make for a rhythm section that’s both dead tight and creative, there’s really not much to comment on about the performance.

Compared to Burial of Consciousness, the songs on that album may have been just a tad stronger, but that really says nothing about the quality of Bestial by Nature – as Burial … was a real smasher in every way.

The opener “On Your Knees” (no reference to the WASP song) is the most aggressive of the three, and also the most Slayer-sounding one. Still, this one comes out as the weakest of the three. It lacks that “hook” to really grab the listener.

“Take Your Eyes” brings back one of the coolest features of Burial …, namely the way the band integrates open strings into their typical chugga-chugga riffs. This works equally well this time. This track also holds more variation, both harmonically and in terms of pace, and it becomes a stronger track than “On Your Knees.” Still, the title track is unquestionably the demo’s ace –- the melodic, At The Gates-meets-Nevermore style of riffing is great, and Harald’s vocals combined with the fast-paced groove sounds awesome. Amazing stuff.

Judging by the two demos released so far, there’s no question that Imbalance deserves a pretty good record deal A.S.A.P. They sound fresh and powerful, and definitely know how to pen a cool tune too.