Impaled Existence – These Lifeless Plains

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If there was something that could be learned from Bloodstock Open Air’s Metal for the Masses competition – a fan-voted competition for unsigned bands to play the festival’s third stage – it is that the UK metal scene loves death metal. Such was the prominence of the genre on the unsigned stage, including bands such as Impaled Existence. With strong influences from both the metalcore and death metal scenes, Impaled Existence would probably fit in reasonably well amongst the deathcore crowd, and like some of that genre’s more interesting acts, the band are not opposed to more creative and progressive song structures even if musically they are not breaking any moulds. Being mould-breaking is probably not the band’s raison d’être though, which seems to be more about creating incredibly brutal and heavy riffs and combining them with a rather deep, ominous and threatening growl. In that regard, Impaled Existence are very successful – These Lifeless Plains sounds punishing and violent, that’s for certain. However as a progressive death metal record – a term the band seem to want to associate themselves with – the EP does come across as more of the same. The UK has lots of extremely talented progressive and technical death metal bands at present, and Impaled Existence certainly demonstrate brutality and long-term potential – but this EP really only scratches the surface. Something to look out for, perhaps, but not yet there.

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Death Metal, EPs, Quick.Play Reviews, Impaled Existence