Belgium may have a long history of remaining neutral, but that hasn't stopped their native sons in Rise And Fall from delivering one of the most bruising albums in recent memory. An unyielding collection of rapid fire songs that connect the blood splatter dots somewhere in-between Cursed and Integrity, "Into Oblivion" is a violently dark excursion through punk and metals unsavory underbelly.

The rawness this band exude is only matched by their savagery as relentless drumming sets a pace for riffs that cut through the listener like a volley of dull saw blades. Vocals are brutishly screamed, breakdowns are hit with the impact of a freeway pile-up and through it all, the band manage to continually package their aggression in 2-3 minute bursts. Of course there are some exceptions to the rule as the band do bring it down a notch for some slower doom-styled interludes.

But aside from these rare few endeavors, Rise And Fall rarely show mercy and instead cathartically pound the listener into a bone shattering submission. Of course this means that not every track stands out, but with such damage being incurred, this isn't really an issue. All in all, "Into Oblivion" is a predator of an album that only the most twisted will voluntarily submit to, the rest can just run in fear back to the safety of their commercial metalcore records.