![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Barbarous-Initium-Mors-500x500.jpg\")
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Death metal boasts a lush buffet of subgenres. From mind-flaying technicality to chilling dissonance to wanton mirth, there\u2019s something for everyone. Unmoved by how much the genre has evolved, some folks just want the straightforward, grass-fed variety that defined American death metal in the late \u201880s and early \u201890s. And what bloodsport that was\u2014Cannibal Corpse hammer-smashed listeners to paste, Deicide seared anti-religious sentiment into their collective hide, and Morbid Angel infected them with tainted melody. Barbarous slides comfortably into the fray, wielding debut Initium Mors, but does it pack enough punch to survive the melee?<\/p>\n
\ufeff<\/p>\n
Inspiration plays an immediate role in Barbarous\u2019s sound. Though they hail from Oakland, California, it\u2019s the Tampa Bay scene that casts the longest shadow. Cannibal Corpse\u2019s influence is undeniable, providing the blueprint for punishing grooves and six-string savagery (\u201cThe Tomb Spawn,\u201d \u201cConscious Decomposition\u201d). Vocalist Travis LaBerge retches and roars somewhere between Deicide\u2019s Glen Benton and Hate Eternal\u2019s Eric Rutan, while the music also harkens to early Deicide at times (compare \u201cBy Lead or Steel\u201d with \u201cSerpents of the Light\u201d). There are additional influences, too, including Necrot and Skeletal Remains, two bands heavily influenced by Death and Morbid Angel, proving all roads lead to Tampa. This isn\u2019t to say that Barbarous doesn\u2019t flex their own brand of muscular death metal. The title track does a fabulous job of baking Slaughter of the Soul-esque melody into the chorus while staying true to the Floridian Sound Machine\u2019s jackhammering boogie. I see flashes of a distinct identity in Initium Mors, but more refinement would serve Barbarous to forge their own path out from the shadows of giants.<\/p>\n
Throughout Initium Mors, Barbarous pounds and pummels with neck-snapping fury and brawny chugs. Any track would effortlessly slot into a respectable workout playlist, with \u201cBy Lead or Steel\u201d and \u201cTools of the Trade\u201d being my choice cuts. Opener \u201cInjection of the Exhumed\u201d storms out the gates with a phlegm-rattling gut punch buoyed by aggressive riffing and blast beats, followed by a Slayer-laced wail. And that\u2019s just the first twenty seconds. Hostile grooves and pulverizing paces drive the momentum across Initium Mors\u2019s fleeting runtime, never surrendering a moment to catch your breath. Barbarous\u2019s unflinching imperative is to carve listeners to the root, evidenced by the album\u2019s razor-sharp guitar-playing (\u201cTools of the Trade,\u201d \u201cConscious Decomposition\u201d) courtesy of Zach Weed and Thomas Belfiore. Solos set fire to tracks when they kick in, whether it\u2019s via soulful swagger (\u201cBy Lead or Steel\u201d) or finger-blistering fury (\u201cCoup de Grace\u201d). Either way, they\u2019re unfailingly fun. Travis Zupo\u2019s dynamic drumming bludgeons with teeth-rattling thunder (\u201cConscious Decomposition\u201d) while LaBerge stays the course with calculated, vomitous barks. The only underseasoned component is Zach Jakes\u2019s bass guitar, which is a commentary on audibility rather than skill. Listening for bass in Initium Mors reminds me of Tantalus\u2014the more I crank the volume to hear what that sweet bottom end is doing, the murkier the wall of sound becomes. Considering the meaty through-line that bass provides in many a death metal casserole, elevating its heft would push Barbarous\u2019s recipe to gloriously heinous heights.<\/p>\n
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Production and mastering are a mixed bag, presenting opportunities and highlights. The album is LOUD, and while that\u2019s generally how I like to listen to death metal, a more spacious mix would have improved the overarching balance. For an album brimming with balls-out belligerence, such an oppressive production creates an exhausting listen despite the twenty-nine-minute runtime. Still, there\u2019s plenty to praise. Guitars and drums are front and center, so it\u2019s easy to appreciate their intricacies and chops. LaBerge\u2019s vocals are also conspicuously comprehensible, which is refreshing for extreme gutturals. While I initially noted his gurgles as monotonous, over repeated listens, I\u2019ve come to appreciate LaBerge\u2019s nimble work as he juggles spewing growls and coherence.<\/p>\n
Initium Mors is a triumphant debut and should appease death metal aficionados without qualification. Barbarous is loud, ugly, and here to melt your face in just under half an hour. There\u2019s a lot to like on Initium Mors, even if it\u2019s not breaking any molds. If Barbarous can give the mix a bit more room and firmly establish an identity that transcends their influences, their next release could be an absolute banger. For now, Initium Mors is a solid addition to the annals of meat \u2018n\u2019 taters death metal, leaving Barbarous to unapologetically smash skulls and shatter eardrums while delivering a veritable sm\u00f6rg\u00e5sbord of protein and spuds. Bon app\u00e9tit!<\/p>\n
Rating: Good! \n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Death metal boasts a lush buffet of subgenres. From mind-flaying technicality to chilling dissonance to wanton mirth, there\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[2967,20792,95778,46853,40406,95779,95780,8609,95781,88,95782,95783,95784,95785,216,95786,899,900,80306,95787],"class_list":["post-156925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-2967","tag-3-0","tag-american-death-metal","tag-at-the-gates","tag-aug25","tag-barbarous","tag-cannibal-corpse","tag-death","tag-deicide","tag-entertainment","tag-florida-death-metal","tag-hate-eternal","tag-initium-mors","tag-morbid-angel","tag-music","tag-necrot","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-skeletal-remains","tag-slaughter-of-the-soul"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb\/s CBR MP3
Label: Creator-Destructor Records<\/a>
Website: barbarousband.bandcamp.com<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2025<\/p>\n