MASTIFF – Deprecipice (Review)

Written by: The Administrator

After spending a long day trudging through a world that seems fully intent on chewing me up and spitting me out, the first thing I want to do is listen to a band that seems fully intent on chewing me up and spitting me out. No, literally, the very first thing. I get in my car, crank that angry spiteful music, and enjoy life for a little while. Enter Kingston-upon-Hull's Mastiff. Prime candidate for a wholeheartedly cathartic commute.  

Deprecipice, the band's fourth full length, marks a shift into more overt hardcore waters, allowing the grind, sludge, and deathier elements of their prior work to take more of a back seat. That's not to say, of course, that those qualities have dissipated--more that they have been more fully and organically incorporated into a (somehow) meaner and harder Mastiff sound. We can churn out descriptors all damn day. Deprecipice is seething, ugly, belligerent, harrowing, punishing, relentless, crushing, bleak, vengeful. There's an implicit curiosity that arises from the band's uniquely gnarly intimidation factor: just what level of violence are Mastiff actually capable of? They can howl and roar and batter the flimsy wooden fence in Beast-esque fashion, but what happens when they actually get their hands on you? There's tension in the implication. This is a massive album, rage-fueled and roiling, and as good as their discography is thusfar, I consider it to be far and away their best work to date.

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Mastiff have rolled out the riffs on this one, and between the hooky brutality and the clear attention given to varied and dynamic aesthetic choices, the replay value is extremely high. It's rare that sludge-fueled hardcore is so relentlessly earwormy, but I've come back to this album many, many times since receiving the promo with no end in sight. Each track feels like an exclamation, a statement of intent.

​The opener "Bite Radius"--a title that is both hard-as-fuck and extremely accurate to the overall sonic profile--holds back nothing. It lunges and lurches into direct hardcore aggression, running on blast beats a-plenty and some egregiously beastial vocals that rip and roar with unfathomable attitude. ​I love how expressive the vocal delivery is across the album as a whole. "We're so close to the fucking edge" is repeated across the back end of the bleak "Void," and every time it is uttered, it feels distinct. Nearly a whole new statement. The phrase seems to evolve, gaining emotive edge, taking on new levels of despair, fury, frustration.

​Deprecipice carries a punky undercurrent--see the excellent "Skin Stripper" as a prime example. "Worship" brings the volatile groove alongside a writhing riff that grabs you by the nape and shakes you around for a while. Not to be outdone, increasingly squirmy leads punctuate the track, giving the whole track an eerie air by extension. "Pitiful" starts off as a slog in the very best sense, driving down the tempo and diving deep into Mastiff's sludgier primordial side. This is tar-thick stuff, sticky and crushing in equal measure, even as it ramps up. It's a comparatively longer track too, coming in a five minutes. Not that the rest of the album is lightfooted by any stretch of the imagination, but this track is a strong reminder of just how intensely heavy Mastiff are. And despite starting off with similar fury, closer "Thorn Trauma" is (eventually) less riff driven and significantly more melodic, feeling almost psychedelic as the guitars soar into the conclusion. If you are a fellow seeker of catharsis, I've got to say that the moment of respite at the end of the album hits different.

​Also of note: the inclusion of features. I love what Mastiff have done here. "Cut-Throat," featuring Ethan Lee McCarthy, adopts the near-trademark Primitive Man sense of asphyxiation and dread, and works splendidly as a result. As a big fan of the unbridled aggression of both Burner and Yersin, I was excited to see them contribute to "Serrated" and "Worship" respectively. I'm a firm believer that utilizing more features and collaborative efforts in extreme music is a very good thing indeed. The music itself benefits from the multiplicity, and the community benefits from a rising-tide-lifts-all-ships mentality. Moreover, Mastiff prove that collaboration with peers results in a project that feels intrinsically more varied. I was happy to see these tracks land in the center of the album, giving the intros and outros more consistency.

​Deprecipice is a masterful album, a clear indication of Mastiff's mastery of their craft. This album is heavy with a purpose; violent with a purpose. Nothing feels overwrought or staged, and the execution is precise and crushingly brutal in equal measure. It is concise and, perhaps unlike this review, does not waste words or overstay its welcome. If you've enjoyed their work in the past, this is a must-listen. If this is your first encounter with the mighty Mastiff, prepare yourself accordingly.

​I can't recommend this one highly enough. Certainly an early contender for the favorites o' the year list.

Mastiff - Deprecipice was released March 22nd, 2024 via MNRK Heavy. Find it here!

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