Review: “Consumed” by Deathcore Tag

If you haven’t punched a breeze block wall lately then let us introduce you to Swedish Deathcore brutes Death Tag. They came to our attention at the bitter end of 2023 as they crawled from the rubble left in the wake of fellow Kalmar based heavy hitters The Hate Project with a debut single titled “The Darkest Path”. That was of course just the tip of the iceberg and over the past year the outfit have waterfall released a debut EP. Re-amped, mixed and mastered by Tom Cadden (To The Grave, Deficit, Reptilian Civilian) having been produced by Solar Guitars artist Oliver Töyrä and Jonathan Karlsson that record is “Consumed“…

Waiting no time with extended introduction instrumentals, a brutal roar accompanies the opening DJent fuelled riffage as title track “Consumed” grabs you by the throat. Eerie dare we say haunting atmospheric touches bring American brutes Reflections as well as the work of masters like Buster Odeholm to mind as this Swedish quartet batter the cerebral cortex. Staccato riff breaks and brutal breakdowns wrapped in dry throated raspy unclean vocals are the order of the day with the band nailing a burst laden approach to their rhythmic attack. “Abolish” then introduces a more groove laden riff akin to the work of Chelsea Grin riff lord Stephen Rutishauser, buried eerie synth patterns adding an almost ethereal touch before the gang chant style fist in the air mid section. The play on silence with fleeting gaps of varying length between big chugging guitars keeps you on your toes like a flashing light in the distance, the band able to generate the crushing power of a black hole in the process. Painting a picture of a barren land in an apocalyptic future with caustic shriller vocal moments “Wastelands” is as dark a tune as they come. Momentary haunting whispers send a chill down the spine before the juddering guitars thin the herd and decimate the weak, humanity having destroyed the Earth leaving us to breathe in black smoke and burn in the acid rains. Curiously “Waste” takes a leaf out of the Nu-Deathcore playbook of ten56 by introducing programming and spoken word raps in between concrete slabs of savage riffs and thunderous percussion. Its not the push that makes you move but a violent shove that gets the blood pumping as self defence mechanisms become operational. At least that’s what they told the court when they took to the witness stand. An unrelenting ball of hate bordering on Thrall levels of destruction, this record is as much fun as you can have without popping out an eyeball [8/10]

Track Listing

  1. Consumed
  2. Abolish
  3. Wastelands
  4. Waste

Consumed” by Death Tag is out 28th March 2025 and is available over at bandcamp

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