Of Feather and Bone - Sulfuric Disintegration

Angry Metal Guy

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am extremely ticklish. Even the void where my bloodpump is supposed to be can be tickled with the right stimulus. Death metal is usually the best option to that end, especially when it writhes like a thrashing pit of jacked snakes. After hearing tell of the badassery of Denver’s Of Feather and Bone, I knew that they would deliver that which tickles my most demanding fancy. With their third full-length, Sulfuric Disintegration, these nasty motherfuckers show no mercy. Believe me when I say I lose molecular cohesion every time I play it.

You’ve heard death metal like this before. It’s a tried and true formula built on bone-crushing riffcraft and just a touch of musicality often delivered with buzzing tremolos. Double bass runs and blistering blasts compose the meat of the rhythm section, the bass guitar chasing after it with everything it’s got. Though the core sound is death metal through and through, the band applies it with the same livid intensity that acts such as Infernal Coil utilize. In this manner, Of Feather and Bone toy with the line between death and grind, though the time they spend thoroughly hacking a sick riff into your chest cavity—instead of attacking with ten riffs in a matter of mere seconds—prevents me from attributing a “grind” tag to their work.

Whatever you wanna call it, nobody survives this pummeling. Opener “Regurgitated Communion” features a grisly riff collection that I’d sooner expect from Devourment, but it’s coupled with solos and “clean” licks that would make Bolt Thrower proud. Thankfully, Of Feather and Bone don’t inundate the track with an innumerable quantity of distinct ideas, instead mutating the main feature in subtle ways to create multiple avenues of memorization for their audience. I greatly prefer this method of repeating themes and structures because it makes everything much more accessible despite the aggression the music personifies. “Entropic Self Immolation” accomplishes a similar feat—the song juggles three big riffs in an irregular sequence and connects them with varied, but engaging chromatic flourishes. “Noctemnania” introduces doomier structures that bring to mind Outer Heaven but even here there are but two burly riffs throwing their weight around, barely tamed by slower passages.

The modus operandi Of Feather and Bone adopt works fantastically, but somehow there lacks a certain dynamic which holds Sulfuric Disintegration from greatness. The album feels whole, complete and consistent, providing enough massive riffs to feed even the most ravenous metalhead’s whiplash addiction. However, after about a dozen spins I start to realize every song features the same basic platform. Occasionally, as on “Sulfuric Sodomy (Disintegration of Christ),” the band dissolves the formula and puts forth a churning maelstrom of varied textures and tones, but most of the time they keep things consistent to a fault. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but don’t be surprised if the album feels longer than it is, because at times I found distinguishing tracks tricky (or I misinterpreted when one track ended and the next began).

Still, Sulfuric Disintegration is a monstrosity that deserves every bit of admiration and intimidation felt by its listeners. Whether Of Feather and Bone heed my lowly critique or not, I look forward to hearing a lot more from them in the future, and I fully intend to deep dive into their back catalogue in short order. Their sound is brutal, their execution is tight and unflappable, and the impact their beatings deliver is devastating. Consider me fatally tickled.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore Records
Website: offeatherandbone666.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: November 13th, 2020

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