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RUDE
Outer Reaches EP

Dawnbreed (2021)
Rating: 8/10

Just one look at the cover suggests that Californian death metal band Rude has gone all cosmic on us. The more quizzical and perplexing nuances of Nocturnus and Pestilence spring to mind with Outer Reaches, a six-track EP that boasts an air of progression from the band’s 2017 full-length opus Remnants….

So, does the sound match the otherworldly, galactic cover? Well, yes and no. It’s still heavy death metal, but do not expect an array of jazzed-up complexity or avant-garde short circuitry.

Opener ‘Chaos(Discarded)’ lumbers in catchy fashion. It’s a relatively simplistic track with frontman Yusef Wallace’s dehydrated gasps and that bony bass, the solid drum slaps and guitar tone which, when all mashed together, still remind me of the golden era of the scene when we drooled over Monstrosity and that Dutch scene which Pestilence spearheaded.

No real shock then that as the EP unravels that there are comparisons with current clan Skeletal Remains. But both bands have that certain quality and primitive charm, and while often nodding to the otherworldly there’s that spine of classic early 90s death metal nostalgia.

Tracks such as the opener and ‘Astral Cursed Spawn’ maintain that crucial meatiness and catchiness. Just check out the riff at the 3:30 mark of ‘Chaos(Discarded)’ and the vein-bursting bass of Jason Gluck.

‘Calamity From The Sky’ jerks with the same chunky niftiness, bursting with deep, gnawing percussion accompanied by that moorish guitar tone. Meanwhile, final track ‘Omega’ shifts between tempos, coated thickly with dense dynamics and those chesty vocal coughs.

The two short instrumentals – ‘Outer Reaches’ and ‘Adrift’ – are further examples of the talents the band possesses.

Whether it’s a slower, chunkier slice of vintage death metal or a technical rush of speed, Rude’s new EP maintains an organic edge that consumes the listener with its sturdy orgy of riffery, bass and percussion that reaches to the outer limits but not to alienate.

Outer Reaches is somehow familiar in design but also boasts a freshness and vigour to remain homely as well as aggressive.

Neil Arnold

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