Band's List Technical Thrash Kunvuk Consume Rapture

Some major changes have transpired with the band since their previous album, Immute:Jackals. Two band members had departed from the line up; Simon Edwards on the rhythm guitar and Trina Tuffy on drums. I was bummed out to hear that Trina left. Her chorus vocals added a lot of personality to the flamboyant sound of the insane music. I never gave much thought to the presence of the rhythm guitarist, as David and Trina seemed to be the identity of the band to me. The rhythm guitarist wasn't replaced, so David must have felt confident enough to handle all of the guitar duties by himself. It looks like a demanding job to accomplish, if they want to put out another action packed album, like their last one. An audition was held to find a new drummer and Virgile Coste from France was selected. Now they've got three band members from three different continents; Australia, South America, and Europe. So does this album have the same impact, without a rhythm guitarist and with a different drummer? Will Consume Rapture take us on another thrash trip of cough syrup symphonies?

Vocalist/guitarist David Hart portrays the character of a troubled man, with a schizophrenic disposition. He plays different vocal personalities within the same songs, which is a scheme that King Diamond is known for. The choruses are absent on this album, David is the dominant showman here. Rapture Pt.1(Incite)starts with slow carefree coolness, which is abruptly interrupted by chaotic interludes. He uses an angry screaming voice, with vicious tirades, bitching about the problems in life. There are some deep devilish vocals mixed in, to increase the shocking effect. It's very disturbingly dark and cold like the Carpathian Forest, sounding fit for the thrash black subgenre. Sometimes he performs like a thrash guitarist and other times he plays like a funk guitarist, with artistically intricate fret board work. Rapture Pt.2 (Respond) sports slow paced groovy rhythms like Rage Against The Machine, with a mellow mood like Frank Zappa. He sings super smoothly like a telephone salesman, or a player at a nightclub who's trying to pick up a chick. The lyrics ramble on about earthquake victims and casinos, while he's praying to god for more money.

Bassist Luis Barra from Chile, is the the only other original band member to return, besides Mr. Hart. He's a very versatile bassist and plays many eclectic styles at the spur of the moment. Of course Luis is capable of playing explosive thrash. Teeth Swallower is a fast paced track, with chaotic shredding. The bass lines are dark and jumpy like Paulo Jr. of recent Sepultura. He's an adequate groove bassist during the slower songs, when the emphasis is on the lyrical story lines. Virgile Coste is the new drummer, from France. He doesn't steal the show, he plays along with the script, and does what is needed when it's needed. He plays fast drumming to go along with the shocking parts and with cymbal crashing for an added effect. It's at a typewriter speed, yet it's not overly flashy, so that it doesn't detract any focus away from the vocals and guitar. It gets downright dynamic during the sudden outbreaks of rage. He does add some technical integrity to this band and also some European style. I'd say that his manner of percussion playing is similar to Tjodalv of Susperia. I don't think that he's a better drummer than Trina. But I do suspect that his skills might be a better match for the darker songs, that the band is doing now.

They donate a large percentage of their proceeds to a charity for the endangered Tasmanian devils. So maybe that's where the cut for the missing rhythm guitarist is going to. Although it's rich in emotional depth, with the usual fusion of funk and thrash, it's not as broad across the spectrum of instrumentation. The greater depth of the line up on Immute:Jackals helped to complement the dazzling guitar solos more effectively. The musical textures had more continuity with two guitarists. Trina's chiming in on the choruses added more fun to the music and also made it sound a lot more interesting. They don't have the same pizzazz without the two ex-band members. I hope that this isn't going to be a narcissistic trend, like Dave Mustaine got into. So does it bring any bizarre goofiness? No, not really. Consume Rapture is as stunning as being tased by the cops, then dazed back in a cloudy mental fog. There were some shocking thrash songs, but also some dull filler tracks. It's still a very good album, although I thought that Immute:Jackals was great.