Review: “Extinction Event” by Terrordactyl (3rd Anniversary)

Australian Slamming Dinocore? That’s the sole purpose of Terrordactyl, a solo project from  Raymond Martin, whom you may or may not know from his work in The Senate or Wraith. Back in 2022 he wrote and recorded five tracks for his debut endeavour with sound engineer Shawn Mayer, producer George Mackenzie and vocal engineer Taylor Humphries all aiding and abetting. Simone Pietroforte (And Hell Followed With, Worm Shepherd, Reflections) at Divergent Studios in Italy then handled the mixing and mastering and the rest as they say is history…

“Long ago, amongst the harshest of climates lived the Dinocore… Bree bree!”

A little David Attenborough style introduction brings to live the slamming riffs of opening skill crusher “Extinction Event“, a one verse master class in setting the tone for a record with Martin using a couple of contrasting voices to give the impression of a pair of vocalists when there is only one. That then steps aside to make way for “Tyrant King“, a vicious little ditty that is reminiscent of the work of Hunt The Dinosaur on steroids. Ethereal backdrops to a drum machine stuck on overdrive give this rapid fire onslaught another dimension, the hell for leather approach to the rhythmic gymnastics a sign of what Martin is capable of when he puts his mind to it. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop and so “Death Valley” explodes like a nail bomb with rapid fire rap screams in shriller, ear piercing tones separated by pummelling percussion and clanky bass. It’s like Martin has been given licence to create music to trigger sleep deprivation in those held in Guantanamo Bay and his nightmarish vision is more than capable of that. The breakdown that concludes this cut could actually go on longer, fading to black too early. High energy bounce riffs follow a sample as “Clever Girl” bursts into flames, the intriguing part of this one being some Metalcore style uncleans that are a shade less brutal than the usual savage onslaught. That’s not to say it’s any less barbed but the change in some of the vocal layering works very well on a track which otherwise is the sonic equivalent to being beaten half to death by a masked assailant armed with a crowbar who was just looking for a fresh stain for his hoodie. “The Slam Before Grime” finishes the collection in accustomed style with bouncy Deathcore riffs that slice and dice. It almost goes without saying that the vocals are caustic with at least four distinctively spare voices in the mix but it’s the electronics and synths which make this one stand out from the pack. Be warned, Terrordactyl has teeth and this burnt offering is not for the faint of heart or weak of mind [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Extinction Event
2. Tyrant King
3. Death Valley
4. Clever Girl
5. The Slam Before Grime