‘Inaction, Empty gestures, Solemn apologies, Trending concerns, Here then gone, What’s the next diatribe? (Popular Causes)

Melbourne’s Cimiterium are back with their third EP and follow-up to 2024’s split with Slavery.  This is another barbarously executed invocation to the spirit of late 1980s’ UK stenchcore.  Crust fuelled slabs of crushing metallic groove, tautly jagged melodic leads, and an utterly remorseless rhythm section all locked into delivering steamroller power over speed.

The savagely oscillating title track opens with a menacing mid-paced gallop before building to a crushing climatic breakdown, while Popular Causes positively revels in the sheer heft of its swaggering riffage.  The flipside comprises Stench And Death, which opens with an absolutely monolithic riff and then layers its ominous intent with squalling leads that grow in assertiveness as the track evolves with a pitiless brutality.  The gutturally roared vocals can’t help but bring to mind prime Karl Willetts as they build connections surveillance capitalism, echo chamber politics, and a rigged economic system.