Straightforward brutality is the phrase that comes to mind after taking a listen to the new Eat a Helicopter album, Evolution of Violence. There isn’t too much I can say about this album content-wise because what this album serves up is nasty breakdowns, hellish riffs, blistering drums and vicious vocals. Evolution of Violence hits harder than a rhino on bath salts; in other words, this is blissful punishment to the eardrums. Eat a Helicopter has been destroying angry teens’ $12 earphones since 2006 with its own brand of brutal deathcore. While most bands from that scene and era have shown much experimentation with lighter genres in metal, Eat a Helicopter is still putting out music by the book with a quality fusion of death metal and hardcore. In fact, this album is, in a sense, a “return to the old,” as far as the genre as a whole goes. Although, when you look at that statement, that could be a good or bad aspect.
With seven hard-hitting tracks, Evolution of Violence hits you where it hurts quickly and retreats into darkness in which it came. Personally, while the shock and awe aspect is effective in many cases, the album still feels short and narrow at the core. The band really isn’t trying anything new in the game but delivers quality heavy music – which would be fine if there were more tracks for me to eat up. Before I knew it, the album was over and I was left wanting more, though.
I have to say the vocal performance on Evolution of Violence is a huge step up – especially the high-pitched bat screams that sound downright venomous. The low gutturals are gut-wrenching and in-your-face, and they’re executed with precision. The guitars are impressive and it really doesn’t feel like the band has to rely on breakdowns to sound heavy; the song “Vile Eminence” has that death metal aggression that most crave.
The drums and bass are right where you want them, as the drums have such a crisp sound to them, especially during the blast beats. Other highlights would be the crazy vocal performance in the title track and the perfect mix of breakdowns and shredding in “Chemical Enslaved.” The overall production on this album is stellar, but it does bring up my main qualm. Many tracks begin to blend together and lack the originality that I look for nowadays in any sort of metal or hardcore music. After repeated listens, though, I found myself enjoying the album more and more.
Eat a Helicopter resurrects why some of us fell in love with death metal or deathcore in the first place. Evolution of Violence is angry, brutal and fun. In all honesty, isn’t that the best part of listening to death metal? This is definitely a standout album in this year’s deathcore releases.
