Concrete Winds – Concrete Winds (Review)

If a band deserves to be called extreme, then it can only be Concrete Winds. The Finns will release their self-titled album on August 30th via Sepulchral Voice Records. In just under 25 minutes you get 9 songs hammered through your ear canal. 

Without an intro or anything else, you are thrown straight into the album. “Permanent Dissonance” is not only an ideal opening track, but also describes the mood of the third album perfectly. Absolute chaos. The drums and guitar feel like an assault to the listener. This vortex immediately arises, bringing destruction and nausea with it. Concrete Winds are known for their mix of death metal and grind, which is also impressively demonstrated on their latest output. This is supported by various noise and industrial influences, which can be clearly heard on tracks such as “Hell Trance” or “Systematic Distortion” leading even into more chaos.

Instrumentally speaking, so much happens in a very short span of time, which can quickly cause your brain to melt. Guitar riffs that sound like a jackhammer and the countless blast beats make the listener feel as if they have fallen into a bottomless pit. The guitar solos are strongly reminiscent of Trey Azathoth. If you would put him in a mixer and let everything run at double speed. The use of noise and industrial effects makes the songs all seem much more brute and hectic. 

As a result, the Finnish duo definitely manages to push the boundaries of death metal even further into the extreme. There isn’t really a band that has anything similar to this disgusting sound. Spirit Possession have a similar dynamic in terms of tempo and precision, but Concrete Winds remain unique. Of course, you can recognize influences like Revenge or Blasphemy, but they are cleverly incorporated into the song writing and sound.  

Is the self-titled album easy to listen to? It’s repulsive and there are certainly more enjoyable things you can do instead. With their third album, however, Concrete Winds have created a real juggernaut. Even if it might be a challenge for some metal fans to listen through this record, there’s no denying how brutal and extreme the final product is. I’m disgusted by how much I like the Finnish duo’s latest output after all, even if it did make my head spin and my stomach hurt.  One of the hardest releases of 2024.