Enveloped in a world that is chaotic and dark, Entrench is an album that has harnessed all of KEN Mode’s established strengths, all the while finding new ones, into one single body of work that is engrossing and aggressive from beginning to end.
For a mere
trio, KEN Mode conjure an unholy and frenzied cacophony. It’s a trait that has
been a constant throughout the band’s existence, drawing the influences of
Botch, Angel Hair and Converge, but on Entrench everything has been dialled up
to hazardous levels. They’ve never sounded so invigorated, and just plain
violent, wasting no time with first track ‘Counter Culture Complex’. It’s an
easy thing to say that a band has matured on their latest album but often that
might suggest that their prior material was almost juvenile, which isn’t the
case in the slightest, but Entrench is the sound of a band that has fully realised
what they are capable of.
Followed by the devastating one-two of ‘No, I’m In Control’ and the particularly caustic ‘Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick’, KEN Mode have unleashed an unmitigated hail of corrosive hardcore in just the first three tracks. Where some bands overexert themselves and frontload albums with the most fevered tracks, Entrench is merely laying down a powerful gauntlet for things to come.
Meanwhile, the band aren’t afraid to recoil into pensive brooding dirges like the slow, hypnotic crawl of ‘Romeo Must Never Know’, which displays KEN Mode’s flair for diversity but that’s followed by the totally ruthless ‘Secret Vasectomy’ that reels things back into familiar territory. Ending with ‘Monomyth’, the band pull the curtains in mesmerising and soothing fashion with a beautiful piano and string arrangement instrumental that’s completely at odds with the overall aesthetic of KEN Mode but works a treat here.
Entrench is KEN Mode’s finest hour and one of the finest hardcore or metal records of 2013 so far.
Followed by the devastating one-two of ‘No, I’m In Control’ and the particularly caustic ‘Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick’, KEN Mode have unleashed an unmitigated hail of corrosive hardcore in just the first three tracks. Where some bands overexert themselves and frontload albums with the most fevered tracks, Entrench is merely laying down a powerful gauntlet for things to come.
Meanwhile, the band aren’t afraid to recoil into pensive brooding dirges like the slow, hypnotic crawl of ‘Romeo Must Never Know’, which displays KEN Mode’s flair for diversity but that’s followed by the totally ruthless ‘Secret Vasectomy’ that reels things back into familiar territory. Ending with ‘Monomyth’, the band pull the curtains in mesmerising and soothing fashion with a beautiful piano and string arrangement instrumental that’s completely at odds with the overall aesthetic of KEN Mode but works a treat here.
Entrench is KEN Mode’s finest hour and one of the finest hardcore or metal records of 2013 so far.
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