Twice as bold, twice as devastating, twice as tortured. That’s our section Twice As Heavy. A new, all-consuming, scourging record, simply begging to be viewed from more than one angle. Additionally, the editors would fight tooth and nail to determine who ultimately gets their hands on the golden ticket. This time we’re covering Harbinger Of Woe by Brodequin. Joost (favorite genre: black, funeral doom) and Patrick (favorite genre: dissonant death) are the lucky ones this time.
The Brodequin was a torture device used during the Middle Ages. The victim was fastened in a sitting position on a sturdy bench, their legs clamped between planks, after which wooden wedges were hammered into the planks. Due to the pressure, the legs were compressed, the bones crushed, and blood and marrow flowed from the wounds. For so-called ordinary crimes, the torture was performed with four wedges, while eight wedges tortured the legs of extreme criminals.
‘As long as human life has existed, it is reasonable to assume that torture and punishment have run parallel.’
It is also the name of an American band, founded by brothers Jamie and Mike Bailey. In the past, the band released albums like Instruments Of Torture (2000), Festival Of Death (2001), and Methods Of Execution (2004). As both the band’s name and the album titles suggest, the heavy brutal death was entirely focused on bloodshed, suffering, torture, abuse, mutilation and death. There was no new music after 2004, and the band even called it quits in 2008. After twenty years of peaceful silence, Brodequin has returned for a new, unprecedented torture, bringing along some new torture devices. The Brothers Bailey are back with a new drummer, a new label, and their long-awaited fourth album: Harbringer of Woe.
Brodequin returns to the front twenty years after their last album. Does Brodequin bring anything new on this record, does the band sound contemporary and relevant, or were they better in form and more relevant in their early years?
Joost: If we compare it with Methods Of Execution (2004), the first thing that stands out is the greatly improved sound mix and transfer. While the predecessor of Harbringer Of Woe sometimes appeared somewhat undefined, the newcomer has a fairly pumped-up sound, without becoming a large sterile mush. It must also be said that the band still makes an overwhelming impression on the listener by immediately going all out. As a result, it is not immediately the most accessible record within the genre, but that is also nothing new under the horizon. We live in a metal era where the diversity and choice within the variety of (sub)-genres is immense. Perhaps one could conclude that the gentlemen were more relevant in their own segment about twenty years ago, but I still believe that the extreme nature of the music and the hardly understandable textual input leave an indelible impression on almost every death metal lover. Whether it is good for repeated listening depends entirely on the needs of the listener in question.
Patrick: You can’t really say that Brodequin with Harbinger Of Woe brings anything new. Although twenty years separate their current and previous releases, this brutal beating fits in perfectly with the musical past of the trio. But that doesn’t mean this is just a repetition of the past. The band still sounds as determined as it did on Methods Of Execution (2004), with the caveat that the production this time is less abrasive, and less clumsy. Although it suited the band perfectly at the time, the somewhat clear production and mix make Harbinger Of Woe come across as more direct. It doesn’t lose any of its brutal power; in fact … it comes across even more primal, cruel, and direct. And am I mistaken in saying that the drums are even tighter and faster this time? Additionally, the vocals, consisting of a murmuring grunt and sporadic screams, are much less muffled. That still doesn’t mean that the lyrics about the most gruesome tortures, flying limbs, and liters of blood are easy to follow (read: understand), but that doesn’t detract from the fun for a moment. No, all this certainly doesn’t mean that Harbinger Of Woe can be labeled as innovative. But are you really waiting for that with a band like Brodequin?
Why should you listen to this Harbringer of Woe?
Joost: Mainly because of the overwhelming brutality that the band offers. The underlying melodic structure largely remains intact, although the Americans clearly aim for the greatest possible impact. The evergoing blasts form one of the main components. For fans of brutal drumming, this album is a welcome treat anyway. Jamie Bailey’s vulgar, dark pit grunt, which sometimes lets out a shrill scream, remains characteristic of Brodequin. It’s a piece of horror that does justice to both the title of this album and the band’s name.
Patrick: What a wall of sound, what an explosion of extreme rage. Right from the start, the drums go into ‘stampede’ mode (without deviating from it anywhere) and Brodequin rushes over you with the extremely devastating, all-destructive force of a ravenous swarm of locusts descending on a field of swaying wheat in the wind. The field is stripped bare within seconds, leaving no sign of life behind and continuing to thunder on to satisfy their seemingly endless hunger. For ten songs, an insatiable fury is poured over you. Sometimes it’s just very nice to be swallowed up by music like this.
What influences do you hear on the album?
Joost: In terms of brutality and mercilessness, I mainly think of (old) Cryptopsy, Mortician, or a band like Disgorge. The gentlemen also do not shy away from dissonance, which is why I can also draw a parallel with the work of a band like Morbid Angel. Furthermore, the album comes across as very agitated, like a good death grind band sounds. It is also very impressive when a band can form an entire album around one particular theme, something that the members of Brodequin seem to have mastered.
Patrick: When it comes to audacity and brute force, names like Devourment, Disgorge, Gutslit, Malignancy, Mortal Decay, and Putridity come to mind. Regarding the theme – medieval torture, bloodshed – names like FesterDecay, Hulder, and Sadistic Torture (duh!) come to mind. All in all, this is a disc bursting with venom. Heaviness and speed take precedence over things like melody and technique. Not that you don’t encounter the latter, but the focus on the album is very different.
Joost: Actually, right at the opening phase of Diabolical Edict when it seems like someone is being tortured hard with the Brodequin. The screams and the almost declamatory lyrics together with the extremely brutal opening phase are a fantastic way to introduce the madness of this album. I also note the short Gregorian chants on a foundation of blast beats just at the beginning of Theresiana. The previously released single Of Pillars And Trees has a structured buildup that transitions into a creepy dissonant guitar part, followed by a moment of chaotic drumming and a very intense scream. The song Vredens Dag sounds very good partly due to the fine melodic guitars and some slower phases. These are just a few moments within the entire album that fascinate me and at the same time carry me away.
Patrick: The whole album is a wave of extremely brutal, awe-inspiring, all-crushing death metal. Therefore, there may be the danger that the album comes across as somewhat repetitive (a criticism that has been thrown at the band in the past). But at the same time, it’s nice to notice that on an album that is so completely based on brute force, there are small nuances that give the whole thing just a bit more color. The screams and the short spoken text in Diabolical Edict, the piece of choir singing in Theresiana, a short moment where the determined tempo slows down and then bursts into a dissonant outburst in Of Pillars And Trees, the slightly stuttering riff in Tenaillement, playing with the tempo in Vredens Dag and at the end of the closing and title track Harbringer of Woe the pronounced text. These are small – and at the same time oh so essential – nuances that prevent the album from becoming a mush of overwhelming sounds, while on the other hand, there is no slowing down on relentlessness. If you really ask me to pick a favorite from this wilderness of sounds, I would go with Of Pillars And Trees or Vredens Dag.
This album is again full of grievous lyrics about torment, torture, and mutilation. Which text stands out the most for you?
Joost: What is striking is the fact that the lyrics seamlessly align with the brutal nature of the music. Maybe in this case, it’s also good that not all explicit lyrics are understandable. Many of these texts deal with an intense form of sadomasochistic torture, predominantly with a medieval character. I myself think of the pinnacle of the tortures we can also see in the Saw movie series. Or add the brutal scenes from Game of Thrones, severed heads on spikes, those kinds of scenes. With so much horror that comes by, it’s difficult to choose a single text that stands out the most, but Of Pillars and Trees has a rather poetic approach, like the rest of the lyrics: “Fastened by way of iron nails to a pillar, feet dangling in the open air below, the nearby victim has a stake removed re-driven through her new blood from an old wound makes a show”. How bizarre do you still want your textual content to be after reading texts like these?
Patrick: ‘There simply was no point in history that was more brutal than the medieval period,’ says singer and bassist Jamie Bailey. Whether that’s true? There are plenty of periods that are not inferior to the Middle Ages. That doesn’t mean that daily life in the Middle Ages was not hard and turbulent; constantly having to be on guard against diseases and malnutrition. The average life expectancy in large parts of Europe was only 30 to 35 years. And then there were the church and the nobility; the fear of going to hell made people submissive to the rulers. Punishments in the Middle Ages were severe. Banishment, public shaming, corporal punishment, torture, or mutilation were very common. Beheadings, hanging on the gallows, burning at the stake, breaking on the wheel, and quartering … the list of gruesome, ruthless punishments is unprecedentedly beastly, sadistic, and – from our current perspective – primitive. What is now considered torture was then an accepted way of punishment. The ten songs on the album all deal with cruel tortures … flesh being torn from bones, bones being broken, wedges being driven into the body, and body parts being torn from the body. If you’re looking for reflection, and political statements, you’re on the wrong track with Harbinger of Woe. Or it might be the closing words in the title track: ‘You can’t kill a very large number of people, except in the name of virtue.’ I’m sure we could have an extensive evening of philosophizing about this, with a nice drink.
Joost: Well, a typical case of “what you see is what you get.” It may well evoke a feeling of disgust and/or fascination. I’ve said it before in my own reviews, the freedoms of artists and also musicians should be boundless. If explicit images contribute to the concept of a particular work – something we mainly see in the metal genre – then it does contribute to the feeling it can create before we even listen to an album. Nevertheless, there are plenty of metalheads who don’t care about the album cover, only about the music itself.
Patrick: A naked woman being brutally tortured by the Spanish Inquisition… it might not be immediately inviting when you realize the hell this woman, whose vulnerability is expressed by depicting her naked, must undergo in the image. But let that perfectly match the themes on this album. Too explicit? Why? This image perfectly contributes to the themes of the album. In fact, it could have been a perfect cover, specifically designed for Harbinger of Woe.
Final conclusion: in the accompanying promo text from Season Of Mist it says: ‘With Harbinger of Woe, Brodequin reclaim their throne as the most brutal band in all of death metal.’ Does Brodequin actually show themselves to be the king of brutal death metal on this album?
Joost: Always a tricky question, because what is the most brutal today can easily be outdated tomorrow. Moreover, the diversity within the genre is immense. If we purely talk about impact, then I would almost dare to say “yes,” knowing that Misery Index, Dying Fetus, Cattle Decapitation are also no pushovers. It purely depends on personal taste which band you like the most or see as the king within the genre. For me, it’s not a competition, although it’s undeniable that Brodequin has released a gruesomely cool album with this Harbringer Of Woe. An album with the necessary potential for growth as well because with every listen, a different element falls into place, or I hear new underlying details.
Patrick: King? Call it a sole ruler, emperor, grand duke… Give the beastie a name. Such a designation means nothing to me, and does nothing for me. It’s fine if you want to present yourself that way; feel free to do so. I just don’t see music as a competition and attach little to no value to labels like fastest, cruelest, hardest, most brutal, and whatever else. As far as I’m concerned, that can be left out. What matters to me is that the trio comes up with an album that blasts, rages, rants, raves, torments, defies, and taunts … and no, there is absolutely nothing inappropriate or crossing the line about that. Uncompromising, straightforward, ruthless, and brutally beating from the first to the last second. A delightful album that submerges you from start to finish and helplessly immerses you; don’t struggle, undergo the absorption, and revel in the shattering brutality.
Joost’s score: 87
Patrick’s score: 86
Score:
87/100
Label:
Season of Mist: Underground Activists, 2024
Tracklisting:
- Diabolical Edict
- Fall Of The Leaf
- Theresiana
- Of Pillars and Trees
- Tenaillement
- Maleficium
- VII Nails
- Vredens Dag
- Suffocation in Ash
- Harbinger of Woe
Line-up:
- Jamie Bailey – Bass, vocals
- Mike Bailey – Guitars
- Brennan Shackelford – Drums
Links: