While heaviness is oftentimes the straightforward goal of what many go for in the vast expanse of what metal can bring forth, it means nothing if you don’t bring a dynamic approach and a real understanding of what it means to tap into the raw, unforgiving potential that comes with well-directed intensity. We’ve seen a real uptick in recent times of bands really going for it and trying to showcase what happens when you go all in with your presence and songwriting that goes on an aural offensive, leaving a lasting impact from its sheer weight alone. There are plenty out there that deliver the goods, but it’s among them that a few rise above and stand out for all that they can be. Throughout their second album, Piece proves to be one such name.

As the years have piled on, the union of doom and sludge has become an obvious and well-used breeding ground for all sorts of raw heaviness to the point where now it’s outright expected from bands of the genre to have an oppressive aura about them that extends into their songwriting as well as their very sound. It’s all well and good to deliver that even on a one-dimensional approach, but it’s when a band is able to come forth and offer us something more than a handful of riffs. Without missing an opportunity to simultaneously pummel their listeners into dust and raise them to become something far more, it’s the whole of Piece’s “Rambler’s Axe” that doesn’t leave so much as an iota of potential unused. Incredibly diverse from beginning to end, Piece makes its claim known far and wide as a name that demands our respect! This is sludge-riddled doom that knows precisely how to keep the listener guessing and enthralled with whatever current punishment is being doled out while always creating anticipation for whatever it is that’s to come next. “Rambler’s Axe” wastes no time and capitalizes on every single one of its forty-one minutes. What we’re given here is satisfaction that can only be found in unmitigated destruction. The sky itself cracks before the might of Piece.

Nothing overly fancy is attempted here as Piece knew exactly what they were going for with “Rambler’s Axe”: raw magnificence that stands toe-to-toe with the heavyweight competition that simply must be respected for the wild punch that it packs in every visceral swing. Piece will leave you a bloody heap on the floor. Yet, you’ll still be begging for more by the time that final note draws the album to a victorious but violent close.

LISTEN to “Rambler’s Axe” on Bandcamp here.

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