Corroosion - Punish The Mind
Considering that Italian hardcore outfit Corroosion have been a band for over a decade and are only now releasing their debut album is a little off putting.
However, the quintet’s first full-length release is a pleasant surprise and is proof that some things are definitely worth waiting for.
The metallers have unleashed the sound and fury they’ve become renowned for at live shows and taken it to a whole new level on this record.
'Punish The Mind' is an aggressive and vicious album from start to finish and will most likely leave you wanting to beat the shit out of someone. Tracks such as 'The Flesh', 'In Death’s Frequency' and 'Faces Of Paradoxical Existence' are particularly intense and are prime examples of the band’s belligerent sound.
Undeniably Corroosion are not the most original of acts and are pretty similar in style to bands like Suicide Silence, The Red Chord and The Acacia Strain. But it is the Italians experience and knowledge of the deathcore genre that makes this album stand out, everything on this record is just that tiny bit better than what you’ll find on other death metal releases.
Okay, the generic breakdowns, growls and pig squeals are present on this album, but the band are not afraid to experiment with their ferocious sound either and tracks like 'Dechoerence' and 'Colossal Misanthropy' are proof of this.
The only downside of this record is that the lyrics are not well written and a lot of the time they don’t make sense. The concept behind 'Punish The Mind' is a strong idea and the album is designed to capture the way a mind can deteriorate when you don’t stay positive. However, the poorly constructed sentences for the most part make it extremely hard to decipher what Corroosion are trying to say. Songs like 'Mind Punishment' and 'Life Is Beautiful But Sometimes Hard Porn Is Better?' are both perfect examples of this and in all honesty the Italians would have been much better off writing songs in their native tongue.
But, regardless of the grammatical errors, Corroosion, with the help of producer Alan Douches (Killswitch Engage, Emmure, Hatebreed) - have still managed to create an extremely solid first record.
The quintet’s debut effort is very likely to be the highlight of most deathcore fans year. All we can hope now is that Corroosion’s next release will be just as memorable as Punish The Mind and that the band don’t wait another 10 years before they make it.