APES - Penitence - Metal Epidemic

APES – Penitence
Release Date: 14th June 2023
Label: Secret Swarm Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Grindcore, Black Metal, Hardcore.
FFO: Nails, Napalm Death, Burner, Helpless, Full Of Hell.
Review By: Mark Young

APES are a 6-piece demolition outfit from Quebec City who just happen to delight in bringing you relentless beatings via their unholy fusion of grind, black metal and hardcore. It’s a 20-minute plus that starts with white noise and bang, here is Coffins, unloading that fusion in a cold, furious style. Conveying what they need to say in sub 3 minutes is just royal, setting us up for an aural battering. Following up with siren-like noise, The Great Fire slams into view, a slow stomping beast that runs over you as they hit high speed. There is nothing wasted here, no messing about as they use whatever musical style they see fit as they continue the assault on your senses. Everything they say in the accompanying notes is true, and it sounds immense while they do it. The guitar is dense, the drums on point as they detonate with each strike, and the vocals have that grit to them that provides an overriding feel of violence. That sense of not letting up carries right through, Shadow Walker bringing in some tightly driven guitar with Alexandre Goulet’s vocals deforming out of recognisable shape. The way they navigate through each song is immense, bringing melodic unease where it suits only to be replaced by epic breakdowns, nothing feels forced.

Managing to keep this level of motion going is some feat. Title track Penitence sounds like it could fall apart at any moment, shifting shape at will without changing its core mission. It is manic but controlled at the same time and there is a great riff drop around 1.40 as they put the brakes on, seeing the song out amongst crashing cymbals and those massive stabs of guitar. Pillars closes the album out, a chiming guitar holding it together whilst it builds up to a frenzy of noise. They’ve said they cannot wait to get these out on to the live stage, and I think that audiences won’t be ready for the carnage that is about to befall them. This is 8 incredibly hard-hitting songs that deliver a beautiful melting pot of musical styles, unique to them in what you could describe as short but wonderful stabs of noise.

It’s lean, efficient, and will tear your head off.