EXCLUSIVE REVIEW: Interrupting Cow – Prime Creators [2016]
Artist: Interrupting Cow
Album: Prime Creators
There are more theories and conjectures about the origin of our planet—and life as we know it—than I could fit into one word document, let alone one review. However, without a doubt, the theories that are most interesting are the ones that put the creation of Earth and the life that resides here in the hands of someone else; be it alien or divine. These theories have spawned religions, novels, movies, video games…the list is endless, as is the list of origin points that we have dreamt up throughout the millennia. Out of all of them, though, none is quite so addicting—or vicious—as the one told by the Pennsylvanian punishers known as Interrupting Cow. Following a long line of intense and immense albums, their latest release, Prime Creators is the capstone of the band’s entire discography. With moments of mind-boggling technicality dropping into devilishly heavy breakdowns and spine-shredding slams both, there is no stone left unturned on Prime Creators, as Interrupting Cow assert their true dominance over Deathcore of all styles—symphonic, sludgy, technical and progressive.
If IWrestledABearOnce and Infant Annihilator were the figurative “book of Genesis” when it comes to absurd, over-the-top amalgamations of brutal and technical deathcore, then Interrupting Cow’s Prime Creators is the entire New Testament. I challenge any listener to find a single album that is as simultaneously relentless, ruthless, technical or intelligent as Interrupting Cow’s final release—and you haven’t even heard the kicker yet; the instrumentation is the work of one man, Vince “Vinny” Mac. With percussion that strides the fine line dividing immaculate and plain impossible, topped off with ten-ton bass grooves and more shred than an office disposal center, Mac gives the listener sixteen (yes, one-six, 16) tracks of skull-splitting, lobotomizing insanity. From the whirlwind, wicked introduction all the way through the atmospheric ending to “Paradise Gates,” Mac takes the listener on a journey through unbridled technicality—heard aplenty in “Zebra Carnival,” “Solar Nexus” and “Bottle Rocket Birthday”—and straightforward, sinister aggression (see “Soma,” or “The World Engine”). “Anonymous” sees Mac experimenting with atmosphere, as does the ultimate endeavor, “Paradise Gates,” while “Abiogenesis” is a mouthful of broken glass and razor sharp shredding that fans of Mac’s short-lived project Boobah might remember—even if the new version is miles beyond what is stored in their memory banks. It would be easy—and fun—to describe the instrumental nuances of every track on Prime Creators, but the takeaway message is best relayed in a simple and easy to understand manner: every track Interrupting Cow present on their latest release is as unique as it is aggressive and intimidating—and make no mistake, Prime Creators packs a Cerberus-like bark, with even more bite to back it up.
When I claimed Interrupting Cow left no stone unturned, I wasn’t hyperbolizing; the group may as well have unearthed Stonehenge, be it with Mack’s ruthless musicianship or the group’s grisly vocal accompaniment. Primarily fronted by Mack, but aided by partners in crime Tommy V. and Tyler Sack. With three uniquely eviscerating voices to lend to Prime Creators, aided by several stunning guest vocalists, Interrupting Cow bring the same level of innovation and intensity prevalent in their punishing instrumentation to their vocal effort. From the shrieks, howls and guttural gurgles that dominate “Anonymous,” to the three-pronged attack on “Ghost Firetruck,” all the way to Nexilva’s Gaz King’s otherworldly appearance on “Paradise Gates,” Interrupting Cow combine dynamic, diverse vocals with fun-yet-conceptually sound lyricism to keep the listener on the edge of their seat, begging for every syllable.
It’s honestly unheard of that a band manage to do what Interrupting Cow do with their musicianship only to mirror it with vocal expertise and conceptual lyricism. Sounding like the Frankenstein-like aberration formed from parts of Born of Osiris, Nexilva, Infant Annihilator, IWrestledABearOnce and WeCameWithBrokenTeeth, fans of late-2000’s underground Deathcore blogs (DuckCore especially) will revel in the final form of one of the underground’s best kept secrets. Straight out of the bowels of heavy music’s Area 51, Prime Creators is proof that there is indeed something else out there, and its intent is far from pleasant. With slams, shreddy riffs, brain melting breakdowns and grooves that flow more ferociously than a flooded Nile River, Interrupting Cow present an album that just about everyone will be able to find something to love—be it the production, the punishing heaviness or the perfectly timed moments of jazzy, progressive instrumental reprieve.
9.5/10
For Fans Of: Born of Osiris, IWrestledABearOnce, Infant Annihilator, Nexilva
By: Connor Welsh
