Maul - In the Jaws of Bereavement

Angry Metal Guy 40

2022 was a very good year for death metal, and the debut by Fargo, North Dakota natives Maul was an unexpected highlight. Scrapping the scummy leavings of Autopsy and Tomb Mold from the morgue table into a gore bucket and seasoning the offal with off-kilter slam and horror metal elements, Seraphic Punishment was a low-brow punch-fest with enough charm and individuality to stand out from the pack. It showed a band developing a unique sound within the well-established paradigm of old school death metal and it offered a lot of promise for the future. That future arrives this week with Maul’s sophomore outing, In the Jaws of Bereavement, and brother, the future ain’t what it used to be. Their 2023 EP suggested a more ambitious, proggy direction, but Maul instead opts for something that can only be described as an ill-advised homage to the worst of Chris Barnes’ widely reviled Six Feet Under project. The writing is rudimentary with riffs paired back to the most braindead chugs and grooves with vocals wandering into deathcore territory when they’re not actively trying to beat out modern-day Chris Barnes for the most unlistenable jabbering in the deathosphere. I have no idea what Maul were aiming for here, but they missed it by a country mile.

In the Jaws of Bereavement by Maul

The opening title track will trigger mass head-scratching as Maul showcase their new zero-IQ sound replete with basic, go-nowhere riffs and vocals that vary from okay to “please stop making that godawful noise.” Scattered segments remind one why the debut was so much fun (the maggot stomping march at 1:17 for example), but these flecks of quality are submerged in an ocean of bad writing and unconvincing riffs that are simplistic and dull enough to trigger narcolepsy in caffeine addicts. The song is only 4:35 minutes but it feels like 6 as it pastes your brain into possum poo with generic beatdowns, and this is arguably one of the highlights. Things do not improve as In the Jaws of Bereavement shambles forward. “Blood Quantum” is a sketchy mix of screamo, deathcore, and fifth-rate Cannibal Corpse (i.e. Six Feet Under) mixed with expired Sanguisugabogg. The vocals are frightfully overdone and cringe-worthy, and the riffs are mostly disposable pablum. Song after somnolent song clomps past and nothing happens until fifth track “An Alluring Deceit,” which shifts toward a cold, moody, and very Dark Tranquillity-esque sound. It gives you hope something good might be developing, but after simmering menacingly for 2 minutes, it fades out before getting anywhere. This is life on the skids, kids.

Disappointment will be your obnoxious co-pilot as you tour bargain bin cuts like “Midwest Death” where bland, nondescript riffs and wretched Barnes-isms collide to annihilate your will to push on. Elsewhere, “Stuck Stomped and Smeared” is like a droll parody act trying to write the most stereotypical death metal song possible. It’s offensively generic, mindless, and tedious and makes you long for an icepick with which to end your ears’ suffering. Traces of the Maul we once knew resurface on the serviceable “Drawn to Drowning,” but since it’s the goddamn closing track, it’s a study in too little and WAY too late to save the album. At a thin 38-plus minutes, Jaws feels way longer and it’s a genuine chore to even reach the halfway point in one sitting. Everything I found endearing about their debut is gone and replaced with beef-brained, pig-squealing dross and it’s hard to imagine how we got here.

I’m unsure where to place the blame for this debacle. As good as Seraphic Punishment was, In the Jaws of Bereavement is a rotpit of weak writing and lackluster execution. Garrett Alvarado’s way over-the-top vocals were a big reason the debut was so much fun but here, he’s trying so hard but it sounds as if he’s been inspired by late-era Chris Barnes and wanted to approximate the former icon’s garbage disposal chic as heard on execrable releases like Nightmares of the Decomposed. Granted, Alvarado isn’t given much to work with song-wise, but he lustily undermines the subpar material nonetheless. Meanwhile, Alex Nikolas, Anthony Lamb, and new axe Josh Sanborn offer some of the most generic, derivative, and uninspired riffs you’ll hear this year. Some of the solos have teeth, but with three guitarists involved, you’d expect far more than the moldy dregs offered up here.

In the Jaws of Bereavement sounds like a confused and rushed release, phoned in, flat, and forced. They don’t make cargo shorts big enough to conceal all those problems. I love Maul’s debut, but this is a different and very unhealthy animal. One of the biggest disappointments since Massacre followed up From Beyond with Promise. I’m quite bereavered.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Websites: facebook.com/maulnd | instagram.com/mauldeath
Releases Worldwide: October 4th, 2024

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