‘Night is falling, The crawl down from their towers, To come for their prey in the shadows, Those bestowed power by church and state, Coming for their prey’ (Monsters Of Man’s Invention)

Shards of haunting melody, flares of squalling feedback, solemn spoken word.  Then layered with a harshly chanted mantra before Monsters Of Man’s Invention is overwhelmed by the menacing arrival of The Forgotten.  It is a thoroughly arresting opening and one that is not wasted.

Lifeless Dark made quite a stir with their demo back in 2018 and, with the six years in between, it is fair to say that expectations could have been in danger of over-reaching themselves.  Forces Of Nature’s Transformation is merciless in vanquishing any such fears.  The band draw members from an array of Boston bands ranging from Mind Eraser to Innocent by way of Exit Order.  Their sound though is forged in a ferocious union of metallic hardcore and 1980s’ UK crust punk, braided through a bleakly desolate sense of impending doom.

The band’s original demo, Who Will Be The Victims?, was notable in its nods towards its Sacrilege inspirations and these remain a cornerstone of the band’s sound.  But it is just a starting point.  The venomous riff that defines Cryptic Remains vividly resurrected the frisson of the first time that I dropped the needle on Bolt Thrower’s Realm Of Chaos.  And this is an album that positively brims with absolutely savage riffage – the sombrely seething opening to Medusa and Fear No Evil’s mid-song breakdown are not far behind – and howling yet nuanced solos, while partnered throughout by a truly thunderous rhythm section.

The vocals are delivered with a harsh, raspingly rhythmic vehemence.  Bleakly apocalyptic lyrics explore the economic exploitation (The Forgotten) and the disregard for the common good (Depth Of Cold) that are shaping our lives, while recognising that our own complicity (Broken Mirrors) is playing its part in fuelling our disconnection from nature and the headlong charge towards catastrophe (Feeding The Light).

With a run time of just over 40 minutes, some occasional sags in momentum might be anticipated.  That there isn’t even a hint, speaks to the impressive song craft deployed and the wonderful detailing that colours each track, such as the chanted climax to Radiation Sickness, as well as the band’s ability to sweep from higher tempos to slab-like fury without any loss of velocity. Turn up the dial and prepare for the end of times.