Taken from Spotify
Ash Newton | March 3rd 2025
UK metalcore band God Complex’s new EP He Watches In Silence is their first release in four years, following their debut album To Decay in a Deathless World in 2021. At a sparse 12 minutes and 12 seconds, its five tracks deliver a concentrated blast of aggression and a glimpse into an apocalyptic world.
The intro track Salt and Ash begins with a warped string instrumental that quickly collapses into an urgent blast beat, while vocalist Harry Rule oscillates between low growls and near-demonic wails. The lyrics, albeit difficult to understand, paint a picture of a hellish resurrection: “Hands reaching from the rotten ground / Drawn into the realm we're bound”, he sings, an apt metaphor for the band’s return after a long break. The song closes with an echo of the EP’s title: “He watches in silence, unfettered, violence”, announcing the beginning of a descent into God Complex’s obscure, tormented imagination.
The remaining four tracks blaze past with similar intensity; Ba’al’s Trick features a dizzying progression of riffs, while on closer Flooded Lungs, percussion takes center stage with heavy-hitting double bass and brazen displays of technical mastery from drummer James Lyon. The record’s production shines through in the drum mixing, perfectly complimenting the riffs and vocals without overpowering them. The snare tone strikes a happy medium between a more classic, heavy death metal sound and a tighter-tuned, snappy hardcore or grind snare.
Fans of Loathe will notice that guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe produced the record. Amid their own multi-year dry spell, this EP will satisfy any listener looking for tracks similar in intensity to Loathe’s Gored or New Faces in the Dark and can inoculate the more shoegaze-inclined fans into the world of extreme metal.
He Watches In Silence may disappoint some listeners due to its short runtime and relative lack of stylistic invention or differentiation from song to song. But the release still demonstrates a step up in production and songwriting, and as the band’s first project after joining Sharptone Records, it’s clear they have more to give.
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