Usually, the illustrious Mark Z deals with the vomitous streams flowing through the promo sump. But for the second time for this particular act, I’m taking one for the team. However, the subject is not in the vein of vile underground death or hellraising blackened thrash. Rather, Sweden’s Industrial Puke rip through a nasty collection of crossover hardcore/crust/death metal on second LP, Alive to No Avail. Featuring a chunk of the Rentokiller line-up and charismatic, raw-throated vox of Burst frontman Linus Jägerskog, Industrial Puke pull no punches in their bid to fuse genres and bust heads in one hefty swing. The band’s short and sweet debut, Born into the Twisting Rope, was a solid outing that didn’t break boundaries but executed with oodles of pissed off attitude and breakneck efficiency, resulting in an entertaining listen. Can they capitalize on a promising debut to deliver something more intense and well-rounded on their second opus to match the awesome on paper love of Dismember and Disrupt?
Alive to No Avail treads similar worn territory to its predecessor, while sharpening the points of their sound. Again, the formula skews more heavily towards their hardcore and crust influences. However, refreshingly, the old school Swedeath, thrash, and occasional melodeath influences add spark, heaviness, and versatility to their aggro, frantic attacks. Overall, it’s a more adventurous, fully fleshed album, dripping with spiteful aggression, speedy gallops, punchy riffs, and thumping grooves. Alive to No Avail is every bit as vicious as its predecessor, yet by the same token, everything feels bigger, beefier, tighter and altogether stronger in writing and design. Compact in length like the debut, this time around Industrial Puke have upped the runtime to lengths more closely associated with full-length territory, allowing more time to develop and expand their sound across a near half-hour smackdown.
Immediately, “Daily Chest Pain” goes straight for the throat, nasty belligerent riffs take hold as Jägerskog’s acidic snarls and gang shouted backing vox lend the song a vicious edge. A short, nifty solo rips through the controlled carnage, adding a welcome melodic spark. While boasting a more pronounced death metal influence, the hardcore crust vibes remain the focal point, thus tolerance towards these influences will likely determine the mileage. Integrating their dueling influences into meaty riffs that pack a solid punch, Industrial Puke leverage their stomping hardcore riffs and motifs, with Slayer-esque thrash chops, gnarled Swedeath riffs, and raw Gothenburg throwbacks (“Alive to No Avail”). Whether incorporating seething hardcore meets sludge tones on The Atlas Moth-esque “The Regretful Climb,” ripping through Slayer-indebted thrash with crossover attitude (“Flaccid Provider”), unleashing violently stomping grooves and punchy gang shouts (Biblical Curse’), or embracing the d-beaten Swedeath fury and dueling vox of “Average Dicks,” Alive to No Avail marks a consistently raucous, nasty ride.
Musically, Industrial Puke play fast and tight, demonstrating steady, experienced hands. The influences are broader than the debut, the scope has expanded. However, the raging, jugular ripping directness and amped up speed reign supreme. The death metal influences are slightly more forward, though again the hardcore and crust elements take center stage, generously dosed with old school thrash and snippets of buzzsawing death. As sharp and gnarly as Industrial Puke sound, moments arise where I crave a little more death in the mix. Jägerskog’s vocals are very good, and the recurring gang vocal trade-offs and occasional lower variation lend variety. However, it would be nice to hear more low growls and death vox to complement Jägerskog’s aggro snarl (such as those used to great effect on “Average Dicks”).
Industrial Puke write fast, fun, bruising music, featuring the songwriting smarts and raw aggression to draw in listeners from both hardcore and death metal worlds. Alive to No Avail marks a step forward for Industrial Puke, building from the solid groundwork laid on the debut, to punch out an album of deeper substance, stronger riffs, and tons of brawling aggression and headbangable anthems. Metalheads opposed to hardcore influences or put off by the higher-pitched, strained vocal style of Jägerskog will be unlikely to be swayed. On the flipside, fans of crossover styles and hardcore forward metal with a death crust should find much to enjoy here.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Suicide Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025
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