Frontierer Oxidized

Even if you possess an extensive knowledge of extreme music, listening to Frontierer‘s new album “Oxidized” remains a daunting experience. The included screeching cacophony of Meshuggah‘s mathy chunk and technical prowess colliding with the heft of The Red Chord‘s proto-deathcore is enough to chip concrete.

The additional scouring vortex of distorted screeches and garbled electronics and lingering industrial menace ala Godflesh only push the needle further. And just when you think you’ve mapped it all out, they toss in some tuneful post-hardcore cleans.

It’s a potentially lethal combination that excels at pushing forward. “Oxidized” seems intentionally constructed to test your endurance. Unrelenting in vision and scope, it’s the sonic equivalent of having invasive surgery conducted with industrial strength tools. In their unending quest to push further, the band will likely test your own limitations in the process.

This is riffs being played while at terminal velocity. A spiraling void populated with sharp objects and uncompromising heaviness. Even the scant few clean melodies are often contrasted by teetering mathcore-oriented malice and gnawing venomous refrains.

At their core Frontierer recall the ferocity of early metalcore heroes like Will Haven and Coalesce. But unlike those acts this Scottish outfit have wholeheartedly invited in a malevolent digital corruption that adds a disorienting level of chaos and feverish energy.

At times it’s as if the band have no choice but to continually push forth as hard as they can lest the sonic terror they expel catch up with them and engulf them whole. Even if they do provide the occasional breather, they’ll still gleefully splash some corrosive substances on wounds you’ve accrued in the process.

If you want to challenge yourself in seeing how abrasive heavy music can be when powered by sheer vehemence and overwhelming dread, “Oxidized” should be more than capable of scraping your nerves raw. It’s not for everyone and your mileage with it may vary, but it’s hard not to respect the unfiltered purity on display and the outright aggression served up here.

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