You know, when we first heard Seattle’s Turian, we thought they were pretty sick. It was certainly on the noisier side of death metal, giving it an interesting edge among contemporaries that were happy to ape 90’s death metal to… well, death. But Turian’s latest album, No Longer Human cuts miles deeper than ever before with progressive, nearly non-linear approach to songwriting, as well as a new lead vocalist that lends more of a hardcore edge to their sound.
For all the new territory it explores, No Longer Human is an uncompromising affair when it comes to it’s vision. Off-kilter, dissonant phrases drag on just enough to disturb the listener before hurling sonic brimstone through their headphones. From progressive thrash to post-punk and noise rock, the album is probably a little eclectic for fans looking for an offering similar to what the band has put put before. It’s all the richer for it though, with songs like “Ten Misfortunes” and “Narcissus” showing off the band’s drive to create something new out of all of their influences while retaining hints of their former sound.
If the band’s previous output was mainly inspired by death metal, but always flirted with the idea of trying hardcore, No Longer Human nearly inverts this principle. “Judas Tree” sprawls with strange guitar chords, organ backdrops, and striking vocals, constantly cascading into fresh territory for the band. When the final chord comes crashing down, it’s a brief, almost beautiful moment of respite.
To sum it up, No Longer Human is a deft move for a band that could have continued to cater to their target audience, but spread their wings to wild results. Turian manages to carve themselves a unique place in hardcore and punk, somewhere between Cerce, Teethgrinder, and Cara Neir, while observing the things that made early old-school metal weirdos like Voivod or Municipal Waste. The hybridization of hardcore and metal might not be the biggest stretch of imagination on paper, but you can’t argue with the results when they sound like this. As brutal as it is engrossing, No Longer Human is highly recommended for those searching for something strange, heavy, and rewarding.
Oh, and for what it’s worth, get a load of that perfectly horrifying cover art. It still kind of looks human, but we certainly get why it identifies as something else entirely. Anywho, coming up we’ve got Chat Pile, People Food, and some awesome news coming up! Don’t forget to check out Turian’s Bandcamp here or saturate our sickly serotonin levels here. That’s a thing that brains do, when they work right, right? Right.