Review
Maruta
Forward Into Regression

The saying goes
"the good ones always leave too soon".

When it comes to the world of music usually the reverse is applicable. Most times bands hang on way too long after their supposed peak and tend to try doing everything they can to sound modern or artistic and thereby leavi9ng whatever made them special in the wake. For either better or worse Maruta has managed to fit the quote provided earlier to a T. As they had announced last year after releasing 2 relentless full lengths and a mere demo.

Well to put it simply the band has managed to evolve. Their first LP In Narcosis played their death grind cards close to the chest. The band showed signs of being well above their peers but only a few rare glimpses really stood head and shoulders above the rest. The record we are covering here puts nearly all of their death grind peers into another lane and speeds off leaving anyone close well in the dust. While most bands of the style are willing to play fast and have the most brutal vocals and or topics Maruta doesn't solely insist on playing fast but rather, playing smart.

By the time you're half way through the record you as the listener have invested just over 16 minutes, which by grind standards is almost enough to call a full length in itself. Throughout this record the band build strong structures that don't insist of solely grinding your head in. The band remains insistently brutal without ever getting bogged into the speed game. There are topshelf straight out grinders of course such as "Plague Domain' and "Drowned In Black Matter" these songs last less than a minute and almost act as palate cleansers for the more detailed tracks that follow.

Overall Maruta has managed to go out on a very high note. The band, while gone, has most certainly left their stamp on the genre. As a result of this, I would find it hard to find any reason not to recommend this album to anyone searching for something brutal and smart.