Descent – Order Of Chaos – Album Review

Artist: Descent

Album Title: Order Of Chaos

Label: Brilliant Emperor Records (Redefining Darkness – CD; Caligari Records – Cassette)

Date of Release: 14 January 2022

Sometimes, just sometimes, I want brutality. Pure, unadulterated brutality. Actually, over the past couple of years, I have felt the need more and more often. Happily, there are bands on hand who are more than happy to oblige these cravings. One such outfit, is Australian death metal band, Descent, who are about to unleash their sophomore album, ‘Order Of Chaos’, upon an unsuspecting world.

Depending on who you listen to, Descent are either described as an out-and-out death metal band, a deathgrind entity, or a blackened death metal outfit. And then, if you go onto the band’s own social media pages, they describe themselves as death metal/hardcore from Brisbane. I’m sure by now that you know I don’t worry about labels, so frankly, you can use any of these descriptors if you so desire as there are elements of all of these things to be heard within ‘Order Of Chaos’. But, in an effort to cut the nonsense, let’s just call a spade a spade shall we? Descent are heavy. They are heavier than a really heavy thing from Heavyland. The quintet, which is comprised of members of the likes of Snorlax, Resin Tomb, Feculent, and Siberian Hell Sounds, may be a lovely bunch of humans. But their music isn’t. It’s nasty, spiteful, aggressive, and intensely brutal. And you know what? Right now, this right up my proverbial street.

For around thirty minutes, Descent take sinister and depraved delight in causing as much aural damage as humanly possible with their uncompromising sound. The opening track is entitled ‘Tempest’ and after the briefest of intros, it blasts forth with a flurry of riffs and percussive violence that explains fully the title of the track. I love the filthy guitar tones that remind me of the likes of Entombed and Dismember, whilst the bass gurgles and rumbles with barely-contained glee and the drums simply pummel. However, the amount of groove that this three-minute assault offers is irresistible, getting the neck muscles warmed up whether you wanted them to or not – resistance is futile.

Buzzsaw riffing and a distinct blackened edge come to the fore within ‘Dragged’ whilst a tormented rasping growl spits venomous diatribes throughout. Again, there’s a healthy dose of chugging groove, but the faster sections have more of an unbridled fury about them. Did I mention that I love the sound of the guitars on this record? I have? Well, I thought I’d say it again just to underline my thoughts in this direction.

To be perfectly frank, it’s a little difficult to continue referencing individual tracks because there are only so many times that I can say the same thing without getting boring. If the description of the first two cuts has piqued your interest, it is safe to say that you will find much to enjoy within the remaining six tracks. That being said, the pace of ‘Gathering’, particularly in terms of the riffing and the insane drumming, is probably the briskest on ‘Order Of Chaos’, whilst closer, ‘Despotic’, the longest composition on the album at a smidgen over five minutes is easily the most blackened of all. It begins with a cold and malevolent fast-picked riff before unleashing a final blast of unbridled brutality upon the senses.

I normally write an awful lot more than this for my album reviews. However, on this occasion, much like the album I’m writing about, perhaps brevity is the key. I’ve made my point, I’ve said all that there is to say, so why elongate things unnecessarily? Put simply, if you’ve had a bad day or if the thought of having your ears smashed to pieces by some seriously heavy death metal appeals to you, then I can wholeheartedly recommend ‘Order Of Chaos’ by Descent as it’s a corker.

The Score of Much Metal: 89%