Review: Codespeaker ‘Scavenger’

In a world gone mad and at a time when what we need most is some unified clarity to calm tensions, it would appear that we are teetering on the precipice of total annihilation. With all the intensified aggression throughout the globe, it certainly feels like the apocalypse is well and truly on its way. Considering all of this, if ever there was a soundtrack to accompany the end of days, then I truly believe Codespeaker have written the sonnet to our impending doom.

The Scottish quintet have conjured up an opus of eight earth-shattering chapters, guaranteed to enjoy the end of the world too. With a sound akin to the likes of Cult Of Luna and Amenra, Codespeaker hold nothing back as they unleash absolute hell through the airwaves, and firmly stamp themselves into your psyche.

As for the album itself, the sophomore is entitled Scavenger, and it sees the band stepping on from their self-titled debut, evolving, adapting and mutating into a filthier beast. It isn’t an album for the faint-hearted, if this experience doesn’t leave you with your ears bleeding, then you obviously haven’t listened closely enough.

Codespeaker takes all the traits of their post-metal and sludge peers, dissects the best, most disgusting parts and bastardise them into their own snarling, riff-laden nightmare scenario. With pummelling percussion, and demonic basslines bolstering the crushing guitar insanity, all that’s left to complete the experience is some truly vitriolic vocals, courtesy of Greg Armstrong, who is an absolute beast on the microphone.

Right from the opening bars, it’s clear that the band aren’t here to take prisoners, they don’t want to make friends, and their sole intention is for the annihilation of humanity. Brutally devastating, Scavenger showcases what a force to be reckoned with Codespeaker are going to be, hot on the tails of some of those bigger bands and bringing something new to the table.

More accessible than a lot of those deathcore bands, yet just as abrasive, if not more so, Codespeaker bring home a genuine ritualistic brutality that the other scenes lack, and strive for, without any gimmicks. This is a real, balls to the wall, punch to the throat, aural assault, a band to boast about loving to your pals, and a shining beacon to the lost and hopeless.

As for the tracks, each one builds on its predecessor, with Usud opening the opus and pathing the way. A moody, pensive introduction unfolds into a literal assault to the senses, as the band throw everything at the listener, announcing their arrival. It drops back again, to recompose, before evolving into a darker ramble through the undergrowth. Openly oppressive, when it hits, it’s devastating, brutally venomous, leaving nothing but carnage in its wake.

Brutally devastating, Scavenger showcases what a force to be reckoned with Codespeaker are…

This attitude spills over into track two, Signum, where the tension is elevated, and any chance for escape is futile. As angry as a swarm of contained wasps being tortured, the track is ferocious, thunderous drums stomp throughout, as guitars wail vitriolically. This dynamic is rife throughout the entirety of the album, there aren’t any lighter moments, no chance for ambient reflection, and no escape from the ensuing derangement.

From this point on, each successive track hits me harder and harder, as I dive deeper and deeper into Codespeaker’s spell. The third track, Rescission, is so abrasively cool, and with its full sounding pummelling drone, it is wholesomely devastating. Littered with layers of harsh atmospheric gusto, its brutally intense.

The same can be said of Hecatomb, a gritty blast which has me drawing comparisons to both Cult Of Luna and the almighty Bossk. The dynamic of heavier segments interlaced with moodier lows really shows another side to the band and elevates the skillset to far more than mere noise pollution.

With Samsa and Enso the band flit between a somehow lighter, and vastly darker paradox, the former being less intense, whereas the latter seems to hit at a vastly darker tone. It’s this dynamic where the band really shine, and the obvious attention to those elements plays magnificently.

Just when all expectation is on the album finishing with how it has played through to this point, the band changes gears and unleashes an unseen side, which shows their versatility and the confidence to shake things up, without sacrificing any of their dynamic. The penultimate track, Karst, provides an opportunity to see a different face of Codespeaker and where other tracks have been a full-on assault, here they work with the highs and lows, to create something truly unique to elsewhere on the album. Yes, it’s still a vicious onslaught at times, but, when necessary, it drops back to provide a parallel in mood.

With album closer Verte, the band take their final card, their ace in the hole. Opening with a somewhat trippy, no, shoegaze-y entrance, the band take delight in smashing the ambience, and working back and forth, before an apocalyptically heavy finale, and dropping off into the void.

I’m left with only one word for it all, and that’s EPIC. Absolutely the most awe-inspiring display, I’m so glad I got to cover this absolute banger of an album, it ended my year with an absolute BOOM!!

Label: Ripcord Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Lee Beamish