Paul Hutchings steps up the brutal gauge and reviews the new EP from Twitch Of The Death Nerve, here’s what he had to say….

There’s death metal and then there’s brutal death metal. It’s the music that forms the extreme end of extreme, and which I freely admit I rarely head for. It’s usually a bit too much for me. But occasionally something that simply blasts the cerebrum is just what you desire.

Enter Twitch of the Death Nerve, a three-piece noise machine whose extreme brutality is relentless. The London three-piece, named after the 1971 culthorror movie by Italian Mario Bava bring a sonic disruption that inevitably scrambles the signals. Four new tracks that resonate with a deathly substrata hum, batter at the front door before kicking it in completely.

This is such an aural assault that blood flowing from the inner ear canal should be listed on the consent form that should accompany this release. The four new songs follow on from 2020’s incredibly well received ‘A Resting Place forThe Wrathful’. Each track comes with a sound clip that captures the essence of the track.

Of the four, the standout track is ‘At theTrial of the Exhumed Pope’, which creaks with horror and relies less on the intense filled battery and more on enormous death crushing riffing. Alongside the fresh pummelling, this release also includes the full nine-song set recorded at the Xxxapada Na Tromba festival that took place in Lisbon, Portugal in January 2020, just before everything went to total shit. A demonstration of the sheer firepower that these three musicians possess, one can only wonder at how Tom Bradfield -Guitars/Vocals can produce such demonic sounds. You can marvel at the insane pace that drummer Mauro Hammerition conjures up to propel the band forward or feel for Tom Carter’sgut rumbling bass that echoes in the very bowels of hell. It’s intense, filthy riff-laden stuff and the appreciative crowd certainly make themselves heard. 

The combination of new tracks and the live recordings works exceptionally well. It’s sick stuff, an orgy of brutality and a cascade of demented chaos. Sometimes isn’t that just what you need?

Coming at you on March 12th, direct from the infamous dungeons of Comatose Music, Beset By False Prophets will set the benchmark for brutal death metal in 2021.