Review by Rocky on September 27, 2020.

The Scottish death metal band Scordatura will release their new album, Mass Failure on September 25th. The LP is the third studio album by the quartet and will be released under the Gore House Productions label. Initially, those who might be unaware of it should know that their drummer, Tam Moran, is possibly the main conductor of this band and their butchering death metal insanity. Further, Moran, with his style, shows that he isn’t only a drummer, but always makes a strong contribution with other instruments for the overall song structures. As with many other technical or trigger-sounding drums by many other acts, the drummer, most of the time, takes up the whole song with drumming, rather than being a significant part of the whole process. Here, Moran's incorporation of funk influences with traditional groove, all while balancing speed, groove and technique, gets the necessary depth. These butchers of Scordatura play their brutal death metal as a coherent force, being able to successfully create releases like six demos, one EP, and three full-lengths since their inception in 2005.

Whereas most brutal death metal bands in these modern times tend to release many full-lengths and engage in heavy tours, Scordatura takes the classic and traditional path of releasing lots of demos and keeps engaging their followers with full, livelier, and rawer atmospheric songs; they don't white-wash their followers with synthetics or over-produced sounds, which all sound similar. This also explains how they sound so powerful, imposing, and yet coherent. Across nine tracks, in less than 35 minutes, these traits will be evident with tracks like ‘Disease Of Mind’, ‘Nothing But Dust’, ‘Contorted Existence’, ‘The Flesh That Hates’, and ‘Collapse Of Humanity’. Even though the press termed it as ‘brutal death metal,’ in reality, it’s very hard to put them in any specific genre, and it would not be too much to say that the Scots play death, black, thrash, groove, funk, and jazz - where everything crammed into one becomes 34 minutes of sheer blasting, maddening brutality. There is no doubt that Mass Failure was built over the strongest elements from the group’s sophomore album, Self-Created Abyss. The outcome is best defined where you’re pissed off or enraged enough to cause destruction, and, with the imposing vocal delivery (or gut wrenching!) by Daryl Boyce and flesh ripping guitar tonality from Owen McKendrick guitar, there is something for everybody within this release.

With album art by Mark Erskine of Erskine Designs (Display of Decay, Hideous Divinity, Irreversible Mechanism), Mass Failure was recorded, mixed and mastered by Samuel Turbitt at Ritual Studios (Inebrious Incarnate, Ageless Oblivion, Unfathomable Ruination). Despite most of their contemporaries who are littered their lyrics about gore and rape, the Scots seem to be inspired by real-life chaos, corruption, disorder and existential crisis, which can be played in the cramped venues in Glasgow, and whose death metal onslaught will managed to get a respectable pit going early on. If genre staples like, "Liege of Inveracity", "Effigy of the Forgotten", "None So Vile', "Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas", 'A Skeletal Domain", "King of All Kings", "The Vile Conception" and "Sedition" make you sweat drenched and always pleased, then Scordatura shall take their place in your death metal playlist for a long while.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Jack on March 7, 2002.

My original thoughts of “Under the Cross” from Squealer were of thoughts of Megadeth; the opening riffs and drum blasts on the track ‘Painful Lust’ reminded me of Megadeth back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Fortunately for my ears and this CD’s mark; we do not have another Megadeth clone, but in fact an album that would have to be in contention for one of the most diverse power metal albums this year.

Squealer (for those of you who have/had not heard of them, like me) are a metal band whom you would perhaps throw in the power metal category; however if you do see fit to deem Squealer and this year’s effort in “Under the Cross” as solely power metal, you would be doing them a BIG disservice. The coolest thing I picked up from my early listening of “Under the Cross” is the difference in each and every song. In the opener track, ‘Painful Lust’, you have some hard riffs and drums that belong in any other genre of metal apart from power metal; it is just too tough and manly to be power metal. The vocal efforts of Henner are also too thrashy to be pinned down to power metal and have a sort of hardcore edge to them. One-dimensional is something Henner is not; skip to the gothic ballad track in ‘Fade Away’ and you will hear a set of lungs that many a gothic-tinged vocalist would be proud of.

The story behind “Under the Cross” is one of religious thoughts and views; ironic and attempts at humor are abound in bucket-loads. ‘Painful Lust’ tells a tale about a monk jerking himself off and then we skip to a serious track in ‘Facing the Death’ which explains to us about fanaticism and dying for a cause...

There is something for everyone on “Under the Cross”; the cleaner vocals of Henner are simply amazing and in conjunction with the gang-vocals ala Stuck Mojo, you will find yourself singing along in blind faith. Definitely to be a favourite amongst power metal fans.

Bottom Line: Never a dull moment on “Under the Cross”. Squealer cross so many spectrums of metal that growing tired or bored of them would be a hard thing to achieve. A winner.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 9
Originality: 7
Overall: 7.5

Rating: 8.1 out of 10