Whether it’s called war metal or bestial black metal (or if you’ve come up with a fairly pedantic set of parameters to separate the two), there’s no denying Canada certainly has a hell of a lot of it. The term “hordes” tends to get thrown around a lot in black metal, but between the sheer number of black/death bands from Canada and the ferocity with which they strike, it would certainly seem as though the country is waging a war of sheer attrition against the rest of the world: throwing hellish, maniac warriors to the meat grinder with reckless abandon and plenty of ammunition.
As witnessed on the third track of said demonstration, “The Suffering,” the band is constructed directly around the D.N.A. of Blasphemy (of course) and particularly the grindy, drum-annihilating frenzy of Conqueror/Revenge. The pounding war-march of the opening riff, the way those pick scrapes singe across the fretboard, the back-and-forth between disgurgulating deep growls and higher, blood-curdling shrieks–sure, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before but it’s delivered with the aggression of fresh blood. The fiery energy of the performance alone provides a direct injection of frontline adrenaline, chaotic, violent, and frothing at the mouth at the scent of war, brought to life by Timothy Grieco (Antediluvian/Revenge/Black Death Cult)’s work behind the boards.
There are many of such bands popping up every year in Canada’s war of black metal attrition, but few have as much strength in the grind as Prophetic Suffering. With the quick snap of a 1-2-3-4 from the snare, the safety is off and Prophetic Suffering hit the mechanical groove of a crew-served machine-gun. It’s fast as hell and the barrel is certainly in danger of overheating, but godDAMN does this rhythm section keep every shot in a tight grouping. Plenty of bestial black metal warfare breaks down into complete chaos before the chunky breakout riff, but few deliver such a cohesive performance when the shit really hits the fan.
Prophetic Suffering may be just another grunt in the horde of Canadian black/death, but they’re a grunt with sharp skill, quick reflexes, and, most importantly, the insatiable bloodlust that separates the weak from the strong in a country that is rife with formidable contenders.
Prophetic Suffering’s Demonstration MMXXII is now available for preorder via the Sentient Ruin Laboratories website and Bandcamp page