The notion of death creeping is both probably accurate to the reality of the world and also a horrifying image. Whether it’s a seemingly aimless zombie coming for you, or the ever-present entity that haunts It Follows, there’s no limit to the imagination of the ways that the end lurks toward our individual demise. Texas metal upstarts Creeping Death may have taken their name from that famous Metallica song (this was before the trash can snare album), but Boundless Domain, out now via MNRK Heavy, is the clear statement of intent that these Texans are not to be messed with.
Drenched in Texas heat, adorned with the vast and viscera-soaked history of death metal, and sprinkled with dashes of thrash, groove, and hardcore, the band’s sophomore record really does feel like the band at their most adventurous and fun. It’s neck-snapping, ass-kicking, and mean as hell. The fact that this is only the band’s second full-length is shocking, both in terms of how evolved the record sounds but also because Creeping Death feel like they’ve been around forever.
It’s pretty clear that Creeping Death wanted to emphasize how important each part of their collective influences are to the stunningly cohesive whole. My personal favorite is “Creators Turned Into Prey” for how much it sounds like Cannibal Corpse filtered through a Texas metalcore lens. Ultimately, it’s a stunningly cohesive record for how diverse it is. Pemberton shares how their sound has changed over the years:
“I think having more time to sit with the songs [on this record] a little longer than usual [you know why; it rhymes with voted] helped us add some more layers to them. Initially our influences were Blood Red Throne, Sepultura, Gorguts, Suffocation, and Bolt Thrower. As we went on, we added more influences like Death, Cannibal Corpse, and Dying Fetus, and you nailed the Texas trifecta of Iron Age, Power Trip, and Mammoth Grinder. That’s a ton of bands, so we’ve always tried to blend these multiple influences without it sounding too disjointed. We also tried to make it a point to be just as heavy but maybe not as chromatic as before.”
The choice of Adam Dutkiewicz (of Killswitch Engage fame) as a producer paid clear dividends, as his penchant for imbuing heavy music with a real balance of beauty and brutality really comes through. I’m reminded of his work with early Shadows Fall and Norma Jean, in how he can make thrashy riffs sound heavier while pulling out every ounce of melody and bounce that he can from the mix. In a style that can sound too self-serious, I’m most struck by how damn fun this record is, first and foremost. What was it like working with him, and was there a moment or song you felt he contributed the most to?
“We loved working with Adam,” Pemberton says. “He’s absolutely hilarious. He’s extremely meticulous and would only keep the best of the best possible take you can do. If it wasn’t, he’d absolutely let you know in his own brand of humor. He definitely got the best performances we’ve had on record to date. His biggest contribution to the music was the addition of lots of different harmonies and chords on top of the rhythm tracks. He doesn’t like both guitars doing the same thing for too long, so he helped us add things here and there to make the songs sound more full and interesting.”
Boundless Domain is available from MNRK Heavy. Follow the band on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more updates.
Image courtesy of Alan Snodgrass
