Conceived by Dillinger's Greg Puciato and Sepultura's Max Cavalera after connecting at a Chi Cheng benefit show, Killer Be Killed was never going to be anything less than special.
Rumours have been bubbling for months, and with Mastodon’s Troy Sanders and The Mars Volta’s Dave Elitch completing the circle – and everyone but the drummer contributing vocals – this release over-delivers on multiple levels.
Wings Of Feathers And Wax is a beast of an opener with a strong, euphoric chorus that affirms these musicians gelled deeply. While the songwriting shares common threads, tracks are distinctive and memorable within their own right – unsurprising considering each member is as obsessed with technicality and rhythm as aggression itself.
Melting Of The Marrow is the definition of savagely melodic. Twelve Labors and Dust Into Darkness have sticky choruses but are steeped in menace and sleaze. Traditional influences like Sabbath win over DEP hysteria here but the result is no less breakneck or brutal, and Josh Wilbur’s (LOG, Gojira) production does riff-laden pit pleaser Fire To Your Flag justice.
Witnessing these members abandon their comfort zones for something so exhilarating yet still true to themselves is as rewarding as it is fun.