Yatra – Born Into Chaos
Release Date: 10th June 2022
Label: Prosthetic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Gatecreeper, Blood Incantation, Immolation.
Review By: Andy Spoon
Having prior Doom/Death releases before 2022, Yatra returns with a new bag of sonic tricks, fully-intending to switch styles up a little as they foray into full blackened-death with their most recent release, Born Into Chaos. The Maryland trio has been attempting to get back to their roots in death metal, as they agree that their original influences come from a much faster, cleaner style of extreme metal, asserting that they have forgone the slow drums and fuzz guitar on Born Into Chaos, something that is immediately apparent with track one.
Written entirely during the pandemic, Yatra had continued forward in the writing and development process, one track at a time, if necessary to make sure that they were able to collaborate whenever possible, as the pace for performing at live events virtually stopped altogether for around 20 months over most of the world. Fortunately, a trio of musicians can make this process work a little easier than a larger project, simply on the coordination efforts alone. Altogether, Yatra has pulled together and completed the process of writing Born Into Chaos and getting it ready for the world’s re-re-re-opening after yet another set of COVID setbacks.
Based on the press-releases, the band is clearly excited about the album, something that inspires confidence in listeners. One really needs to dig into the prior work by Yatra in order to understand the depth and veracity of Born Into Chaos. The band’s 2019 release, Death Ritual, has a completely-different atmosphere of sound, being more of a sludge-doom-stoner offering. While still enjoyable, Death Ritual is probably not going to reach the same audience that Born Into Chaos will, something over which there will be little dispute. The prior and recent work are two completely different animals.
From a sound-engineering perspective, the new album is gritty, punishing, and fast-paced, leaving no doubt that Yatra’s sacrifice on the altars of death metal will not go unnoticed. The bass guitar and kick drum are boomy and bassy, helping each track thump along. The guitars are mixed into the front of the mix and engineered well. It’s fairly clear that the chunky, sludge/doom-inspired guitars are meant to be “the sound” of the project, with singer Dana Helmuth’s high scream vocals, guitars low and vocals high. There is a stark contrast between the “departments” that ultimately provides a distinct and compelling sound.
There are moments of OSDM or Swedish-DM-inspired glory, like in “Reign of Terror” that absolutely slap without having to break into overly-used blast beats. Guitar leads are musical, deviating from the thrash-inspired leads that can be heard on most old-school death projects. Frankly, it’s refreshing to hear the melodic leads, rather than just a rhythmic howl or screech (which can be absolutely epic, but humdrum after enough repeated attempts in death/thrash music). This element is something that calls back to Yatra’s stoner-doom-esque roots, where the guitar leads were bluesy and “moaning”, rather than wild and “wailing” with heavy doses of pinch harmonics.
Overall, it’s a great listen; and I’m glad that I had the opportunity to spin it. It’s a major departure from a band who seems to be either refining, or deconstructing their style to better-match up with their direction. To be able to make a good album in multiple sub-genres is not terribly easy (Blood Incantation comes to mind), but Yatra seems to have pulled a rabbit out of a hat with their sped-up, dialled-in release for 2022. It’s worth a spin and ought to be on your list of 2022 hot death metal releases, especially for those who prefer bands like Immolation, Witch Vomit, or Blood Incantation. 
(3.5 / 5)
