Album Review: Shatter Brain - Pitchfork Justice (2020)

The South Australian band Shatter Brain is a great example of what intense music can be created when opposites attract. The quintet from Adelaide can be regarded as some kind of super group consisting of vocalist Tom Santamaria, guitar players Matt Disosto and Jack Hartley, bass player Pat Callaghan and drummer Ryan Quarrington. So far have only released a Demo and a Split with Blunt Shovel. After their recent tour through Japan the band began with the recordings of their first longplayer "Pitchfork Justice".

The album contains about 40 minutes of smashing, raw and powerful Metal. The musical backbone is a sheer force of Thrash Metal that mercilessly minces its way straight forward. Further, there are plenty of influences from Death Metal and Grindcore that add to the violent soundscape. But the most striking impact to the heavy and fast music on "Pitchfork Justice" comes from oozy and intense Sludge. With brutally speeding Thrash Metal and swampily halting Sludge as the two main pillars of Shatter Brain's music the soundscape on their first album becomes a vast, misty and gory battlefield.

The nine tracks are coined by brachial hightempo attacks, gloomy harmonies and sheer force. What I like especially is the very dominant bass sound that adds to the sludgy atmosphere. Sometimes Shatter Brain remind me of other bands a little, which are Pantera, Pungent Stench and Ten Ton Slug; one each for the Thrash, the Death and the Slug.
This amazing powerload will be released on May 1, 2020 via WormHoleDeath and Aural Music. For lovers of chequered brachial music there will be hardly a way around this one.

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