Izegrim
Code Of Consequences
Listenable

Dutch thrash/death metallers Izegrims latest album is a rather atypical slice of extreme metal . Taking their cue from Arch Enemy (who in turn take theirs from Carcass one suspects…), both musically and stylistically, ‘Code of Consequences’ is a solid if slightly predictable addition to their back catalogue to date.

Hugely respected in their native country, Izegrim have consistently been well recieved right from the release of their first demo in 1998. This sort of career longevity portrays a genuine dedication to their craft and has amassed them a steadily growing fanbase. And, if their press blurb is to be believed, apparently their ‘journey has just begun’ or is that some sort of code for worldwide recognition has as yet evaded them? Despite describing their sound as a ‘new means to thrash’, ‘Code of Consequences’ fails to elevate them from their contempories. True, the album sounds harsh and brutal from start to finish and Marloes vocals are strikingly abrasive throughout, but the riffs and beatdowns have all been done before. Izegrim have noted that they made it their mission to produce ‘their most riff packed offering in the history of Izegrim’ now, as I’m not overly familiar with their past work, they may well have fulfilled this objective but that still doesn’t detract from the fact that taken on its own, ‘Code of Consequences’ fails to set the speakers on fire. With a fairly recent change of line up (vocalist Krisz and founding member Joep left in 2008) perhaps the band is still readjusting directionally.

In a scene so well defined it can be hard to innovate so the usual themes and overall feel of this album ultimately falls flat. Tracks like ‘Deathstrip’ and ‘Psychopathic Mind’ are perfect for moshing to in a club or at a gig but, outside of that, I wouldn’t be too interested in listening to them.

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Review by Maria Kilby