Brodequin

Published: 2 Sep 2024

Instruments of Torture

Instruments of Torture Album Cover

Sounds exactly what a Brutal Death Metal album should be, a fuzzy wall of guitar noise punctuated by incomprehensible gutturals and relentless (if a little quiet and flat) death metal drumming. Its ultra-repetitive and unsurprisingly brutal to a comic degree, but said repetitive nature and wall of noise approach makes this ironically quite a comfortable and relaxing album to listen to.

Best tracks: Spinning in Agony, Ambrosia, Duke of Exeter, Infested with Worms, Strappado

Festival of Death

Festival of Death Album Cover

Sonically similar to their first album with a few evolutions sprinkled here and there, namely the pingy snare, more intense riffing and a general rougher abrasiveness in the production throughout… and yet I just don’t click with the album anywhere near as much as Instruments of Torture, for reasons I just cannot put my finger on.

Best tracks: Mazzatello, Judas Cradle, Torches of Nero

Methods of Execution

Methods of Execution Album Cover

Brodequin certainly haven’t changed much, have they (Methods of Execution’s ambient intro aside)? Still plugging away at their trademark sound, blasting away with their usual abandon - and yet the album is completely hampered by the production. It does seem like an attempt to return to the drier Instruments of Torture, with the drums being fairly quiet in the mix with the guitars and vocals neatly layered over, but ends up taking the indecipherable smudginess that Festival of Death had with it… and ends up a worst of both worlds. All that good musicianship pretty much goes to waste. Oh well.

Best tracks: Durance Vile

Harbinger of Woe

Harbinger of Woe Album Cover

Brodequin are back after 20 years! Given a lick of paint in the production department, but still sounding exactly as you’d expect, with all the Brodequin trademarks and BDM tropes. The aforementioned production job is the main distinguishing factor - giving the album a really rich, warm and full sound in contrast to the band’s previous albums typically being dry or smudgy. It perhaps loses a little in atmosphere despite being so good on a pure technical level, but makes listening to it remarkably easy in a casual setting, and the samples are woven into the music expertly here (e.g. Theresiana, Harbinger Of Woe) to get some of that lost atmosphere back.

Musically, its not reinventing the wheel, and perhaps to a fault as after 4 albums the formula does feel to be wearing a little thin personally, especially given the lack of variation where several tracks whizz by without much distinguishing them - but there’s still enough here on the tracks that do vary it up a little to make a worthwhile listen, and a good entry point for Brodequin as a whole.

I do miss the pingy snare.

Best tracks: Theresiana, Of Pillars And Trees, Vredens Dag, Harbinger Of Woe