Prolificacy is an oft-lauded trait for bands in the metal world. We are constant consumers on the lookout for more tasty morsels to glut our filthy musical maws, so bands that regularly throw scraps out to satiate us are given special attention. Once upon a time, the pressure of record labels forced a steady album cycle on most bands, requiring them to be more prolific than they were probably prepared for. The modern day often allows bands to have better control over when and if they write, meaning we should applaud those that take their time equally as we do those that can crank out fresh material annually.
Album opener “Bioluminescent Toxins” exhibits the group’s patience quite well. The song starts with slow, ominous notes that morph into a woozy doomy riff. As the guitar line speeds up it becomes more angular. Eventually, that riff is sped up into a slicing, whirling tremolo assault. After one of the most rollicking drum sections of the entire album, the song cuts into a somber and quiet stretch that sees vocalist Rae Amitay break out some haunting clean singing. Just as you think the song is concluding on that clean segment, it smashes the listener over the head with a brick of a simply heavy as hell closing passage. The song patiently builds but doesn’t overstay its welcome considering the runtime is under six minutes.
The song exemplifies so well what makes Immortal Bird stand out among their peers. Amitay proves she is willing to try new things with her voice. Later on, she even fires off some hardcore-style shouts on “Ocean Endless” to spice things up among her usual vicious snarl. Nate Madden takes on bass in addition to his guitar playing on this album but shows that double-duty does not hinder his ability to create varied and fantastic riffs. The opener has a killer blend of sludge, black and death metal swinging in and out of it. While those two players are absolutely holding their own on the recording, Matt Korajczyk’s drums are the star of Sin Querencia. That near minute of relentless rolling and fills in the opener is a more obvious bright spot, but he readily changes up his style and approach to suit the songs throughout. He can blast away to create a full-on rhythmic battering in “Plastered Sainthood,” unleash an unwieldy sense of chaos by flailing across the whole kit on “Ocean Endless,” dip into a simple D-beat on “Propagandized,” or let steady kicks and slick cymbal work rule the roost on “Contrarian Companions.”
Just as Korajczyk’s drumming is exceptionally varied and poignant, so too are the riffs and influences that peek through each song. The band’s careful mind also shows through the album’s well-ordered sequence. That simple, crusty assault on “Propagandized” feels like a song made for picking fights but follows “Consanguinity,” which has an aggressive plodding attack, not unlike Primitive Man, and then throws in an unnerving atonal riff that feels strange and possessed of an evil spirit. “Propagandized” is also followed by “Ocean Endless,” which opens with a big dramatic black metal riff but also has a section that could fit on a Converge record. Want a few more reference points that pop in? The opening to “Synthentic Alliances” leans into discordance and comes across like a slowed down Ulcerate guitar line. There are also two different passages that call to mind Meshuggah. “Consanguinity” has a scribbling riff that ascends and then descends back down, creating a suffocating feeling like something off of Catch-33. “Ocean Endless,” on the other hand, has a fast-paced, repeated and off-kilter chug like the opening of I.
While all of these influences and styles come together, what makes it all the more impressive is that the album always sounds and feels like Immortal Bird. The band has clearly continued to push what they do but nothing here feels out of place or like their forcing variety of the sake of having variety. Even among all the oddities and new tricks, tracks like “Contrarian Companions” is a classic Immortal Bird song through and through with its blasting notes, big riffs and ability to feel pretty, somber and hostile all at once. The band is careful to retain their origins while experimenting.
With album number three, Immortal Bird’s patience and care for writing has absolutely paid off. Sin Querencia is easily their best album to date and fans of the band won’t be disappointed.
