Review: “Like Vultures” EP by Chine

Stockholm Sweden Dystopian Death Metal band Chine released a cover of “Breathe” by Industrial Electronicia pioneers The Prodigy to marks the bands first release with ex-Pray For Locust frontman Tintin Andersen at the helm. That happened in 2018, having spent a long time searching for the right fit to follow up 2016’s “Immanent” and the result was pretty damn good. Fast forward a few months and the re-tooled band have put together a new four track EP entitled “Like Vultures” to show a bit more of what they’re about. The band are rounded out by guitarist duo Andreas Weis and Jokke Pettersson, alongside bassist Tommy Erichson and drummer Jesper Sunnhagen. 

A sequence of big crash cymbal hits and a speech sample usher in “The Scavenging Elite”. It’s a tune that sees the new vocalist demonstrate some serious demonic vocal range while the band build sonics that provide the kind of necessary evil backing that is more than sufficient to destroy buildings. There is very much the sense that “Breathe” was just for fun and ended up being a fitting tribute to the late Keith Flint, while this is what the band are really about. “A Line In The Dirt” has a dark spoken word and a surprise gang chant element “you know nothing” that is going to go down a storm live. Jesper Sunnhagen delivers a brutal kit performance as he does throughout to be fair and the drum sound is simply fantastic. Quintessentially this cut is more of a Death Metal version of Metallic Hardcore and it works really, really well. “Erase Me” steps things back up into that heavier overall resonance of the opening track and builds the atmospheric from the ground up with an ocean of riffs delivered at furious pace. Lyrically a vision of hell, it’s swiftly followed by “Nothing But Black” that builds on the darkness of the lyrics offering a similar concept to “Duality” by Slipknot. Despite the heaviness there is a melodic undercurrent and another fine vocal performance. Trapped inside? Who doesn’t? And the closing vocal layering is a masterstroke. You’re going to find it hard not to headbanging your way through this EP, it’s a real gem! [8/10]