Galvanizer – Prying Sight Of Imperception

Oh dear, this album has been gathering dust in VM-Underground’s promo closet for far too long, and, for unknown mysterious reasons. Sometimes this happens for a somewhat good reason, for instance because the band or music in question is not particularly interesting. But in the case of Finnish Death Metal/Grindcore combo Galvanizer, we must confess with some blush of shame that there is no good reason – at all. Galvanizer made a rock-solid impression from the get-go with their 2015 ‘Horrid Tales Of Death…’ demo tape (later also pressed on 7″ EP by Extremely Rotten Productions) and that was further consolidated with the excellent ‘Sanguine Vigil’ album that saw the light of day in 2018 via the same label collaboration as this latest album.

The band does not rush things and takes its time to get right with each release. From many bands in this genre, you are dodging releases right, left and center, if not with Galvanizer, they have yet to release a single (split) EP and seem focused getting their full-length albums more deadly. While I often point out that with extreme metal genres I often prefer an EP to a full-length album, with these Finns I have no trouble at all sitting through a full record. Their versatility in song writing, with the many tempo changes being especially significant, offers the listener an equally all-rounded listening experience. The well-written catchy but equally choppy riffs are brimmed with Grindcore influences while having an obvious firm foundation in Old School Death Metal. Although the music does not contain any technical wizardry, it sounds wonderfully fresh and aggressive, precisely because of that ultimate blend of Death Metal and Grindcore, where blast beats and single-peddle attacks alternate at breakneck speed. Inspiration is clearly drawn by the Death Metal/Grindcore scene of the last 80’s and early 90’s, but Galvanizer takes those influences to a rather modern, yet analogue sound, giving it a particularly sharp punch.

This is definitely fodder for fans of bands like Carcass, Xysma, old Lock Up and Exhumed. Anyone into extremely well-executed extreme metal that moves on the tipping point between Death Metal and Grindcore should not leave this latest work from Galvanizer on the shelf, as we did…