With “Mind Rot Protocol” BlastForge have created an insane fusion of the chunky riffs of brutal industrial metal and the intense drums and blast beats of death metal. It instantly became one of my favorite EPs of the year. If you are a fan of powerful songs that you absolutely can’t not headbang to, then this release is for you.
Wasting no time on introductions whatsoever, the EP begins with “Cognitive Abyss” which immediately starts with an evil death metal style riff and quickly follows up with a stomping industrial riff with drums and guitar in sync like one machine of doom, letting you know that you are in for an absolute ride. Arriving at the verse, we start to unfold the theme of the EP. Anger and frustration at a broken system. The brutal vocal delivery, half-time drums, and huge-sounding guitars amplify the rage the lyrics convey.
Speaking of lyrics, “Vivisection”, in my opinion, has the most profound lyrics of Blastforge’s latest EP. Creating an analogy for how the corrupt system brutalizes us and treats us as a resource of data to be farmed and eventually used against us, using horrifying, gory imagery. Following the breakdown of the song is a particularly nasty, heavy riff that really drives the anger home, in my opinion. Sounds like a bull stomping the ground before it (and the band) charge for one final chorus.
That bull stomping riff, or at least a variation of it, kicks off the third track, “Womb of Corruption”. The kick drum is getting quite the beating now as Blastforge turn up the intensity with low guttural growls and the goriest lyrics so far. Building to an absolute cacophony that assaults your senses and puts on display the rot in the “Mind Rot Protocol”.
“Split Vision” is the fourth and final track and is the most death metal one out of the four. Blast beats instantly set the tone for the incoming crescendo of madness. As the lyrics unravel, so does the mind of our protagonist. Because when every part of the system is filled with lies, manipulation, and deception, how can one trust their own flesh? You can’t, is their answer.
BlastForge’s “Mind Rot Protocol” is a certified headbanger’s delight, an EP with a cohesive narrative thread all the way through the end, and an experience that manages to fuse multiple sub-genres of metal together like a well-balanced meal.
