Standing out from the tech-metal legions by virtue of a sinister, snarling edge, Intensive Square have been gestating for years and now come spluttering out of the swamp with their debut offering.
Like others before them, the band bring the Contradictions Collapse-era Meshuggah blueprint to the present, but Anything That Moves sees the Swedish legends’ rhythmic doctrine given a toxic injection of rage and fresh ideas.
Opener The Long Man ends in a hellish squall of feedback and dissonant saxophone squealing, while Ends explodes in a burst of chaotic drumming and frontman Chris Haughey’s unhinged vocals. Me vs The Cables’ assault is akin to being eviscerated by a surgeon with serrated blades, while the grotesque riffs of Gastric Emptying shift from one bluster to the next with deft ability. The shrill sax continues over Trials Of The Uberman, while the belligerent lyrics, sludgy tones and blastbeats of King end proceedings on a vehement note. A grisly, calculated hammer-blow of a debut.
