Storm Upon The Masses – Crusher of Souls

Written by on 08-06-2024 at 17:09.

In 2018, the overwhelming debut album The Ones Who Came Back by the Belgian band Storm Upon The Masses got a passionate review from colleague Kris. On top of that the record (generally) received positive reactions from within the entire scene. So it’s safe to say it was a success. I think the guys then thoroughly enjoyed their success and indulged in drugs, women, and parties, because it took six years before we could witness the follow-up, Crusher Of Souls. Was it worth the wait? The tension is palpable!

For those not familiar with Storm Upon The Masses, they are a band from Belgium consisting of five musicians. These five are responsible for a massive amount of noise played at top speed. I imagine the Dutch neighbors will often have pounded on the imaginary Belgian wall, shouting if they could keep it all a bit quieter. For the new album, the guys invited several guest vocalists, such as the well-known Julien Truchan from Benighted, the Brazilian Lorena Moraes and Beleth from the Spanish band Noctem. Alright, that tension! Let me reveal right away that it all has been more than worth the wait. What an absolute powerhouse of an album this has become!

In nine tracks, mostly around four and a half minutes long, Storm Upon The Masses tears through their material with delightful enthusiasm. As tight as the length of all the tracks, the musicians keep everything on track during the songs. It has to be that way because if you loosen the reins too much in this kind of music, you’ll go flying off the curve. Well done. And fortunately, not everything is played at Mach 4, as there enough moments of “rest” have been built in. Even the vocals, in all their grunted glory, are reasonably understandable.

The intro of the first track begins with ominous thunder in the background and the sound of a creaking door, leading to a pandemic environment where you’re welcomed by a terrifying scream. From there, it’s all-out chaos for the poor soul who dared to walk through that creaking door. The blast beats are relentless and support the mighty riffs that are fired at you, with the bass delivering the final blow by continuously hitting below the belt until you can do nothing but call for your mother. The tracks are well-construed and contain enough variation, but the band never loses its brutality. And those previously mentioned riffs are really pleasing to the ear.

This has truly become a top album! The band themselves say they are influenced by Aborted, Hour of Penance, Krisiun, and Suffocation, and I can certainly agree with that. Vomitory, Recueil Morbide, Kronos, and Benighted could also be mentioned. It doesn’t really matter: I think that if you liked the first album by Storm Upon The Masses or the records of the aforementioned bands, you can’t go wrong here. The real risk might come in the pit when you get to see the band live, which will hopefully happen soon. And as a final comment, I want to praise that insane album cover.

Score:

86/100

Label:

Independent, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. Seas Of Infinite Plague
  2. Unleash The Demonic Surge
  3. Warfare Ungodly
  4. Murderous Exhibition
  5. Return To Ash
  6. Crusher Of Souls
  7. Cauldron Of Carnage
  8. Arterial Red
  9. Excessive Retaliation

Line-up:

  • Jurgen Hondshoven – Guitars
  • Brecht Putteneers – Vocals
  • Sandro Di Cairano – Guitars
  • Sam Philipsen – Bass
  • Gert Sergeant – Drums

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