Titan

Burn, the debut full-length from Toronto, Ontario’s Titan, wastes no time in establishing itself as the devastatingly heavy powerhouse that it is. Thunderous drums and relentless guitars introduce the bleak, crushing atmosphere that stands through the entirety of the record on the almost 8-minute long “Feast,” with the chillingly powerful vocals kicking in soon after. With 10 songs spanning almost an hour, the band has little reluctance writing sprawling, lengthy tracks that allow them to create desolate landscapes of audible fury.

After forming in 2006, the 5-piece has released a slew of EPs and splits, but Burn is their first attempt at a full-length record and they prove themselves more than capable of rising to the occasion. Their unique blend of metal and hardcore translates into an immense record of grand proportions, rising and falling in a calculated, chaotic mess of distortion and energy. Shifting from slow, sludgy riffs to a blisteringly fast pace, each song chugs along unstoppably and builds into climatic heights. The vocals stand out as one of the album’s highlights, varying from deep, guttural growls to wild howls and anguished screams, adding a terrifying element to the already dark music.

The first side sets the mark for what’s to come, from the sluggish, rumbling introduction of “Indulgence” to the stiflingly aggressive “Myopic,” topped off with the 10-minute centerpiece “Warmer Months,” one of the albums best tracks. Burn lets up its assault only for a brief instant with the acoustic interlude “Corrupt,” which stands as the calm before the storm as the second half is only more immense and crushing than the first. Titan finds themselves at their most hectic and terrifying with “Telepaths,” building from quietly strummed guitars, rhythmic drumming, and ambient background noise into a driving, hellacious mess of distortion, screams, and crashing cymbals.

Burn is loud, dark, and heavy. It shakes you to your core and lets fear creep inside, crawling along with emotional intensity and relentless bloodthirst. Ranging from quiet, fragile states to petrifying, yet strangely melodic, attacks of destructive metal, Titan have produced the equivalent of the entire world crashing down around you. Devoid of hope and warmth, Burn is a longwinded attempt to conquer and violate. Listen to it as loud as possible in the black of night. You won’t be sorry.

8.5 / 10 — Nick M.