11. March 2025
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Media Review

Mastiff – Deprecipice

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Mastiff - Deprecipice

Mastiff - Deprecipice
4.7

Rating

 4.7/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Great death metal force
  • Straight forward, but also very variable metal sound
  • Nice additional touch by guest musicians.

Mastiff are doing a mixture of doom metal, sludge metal and metalcore. Last year, the band celebrated their tenth band anniversary. With two EPs and four studio albums so far (plus one live album), the band has been very active. On 22nd March 2024, the band is already releasing their fifth studio album Deprecipice. Here is my detailed review.

 

Mastiff – About The Artists

Mastiff has been founded in Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire in 2013. The quintet is working in their original lineup, apart from Jim Hodge, who joined Mastiff in 2014. James Andrew Lee and Phil Johnson are the guitarists of the band, Daniel Dolby is the bassist and Michael Shepherd plays the drums. The latter two are also part of the metal band Catafalque. In 2016, the band released their debut album Wrank, after they shared two EPs in 2014 with their listeners. About Deprecipice, Hodges states We’ve gone quite a lot towards a hardcore sound in the press kit. In March 2024, the band is presenting the album on a tour through through their home country..

 

Mastiff – Deprecipice – Track by Track

The ten song album lasts 34 minutes.

1. Bite Radius

The English band is going for the full death metal noise from the very first beginning. There is no chance to warm up for a fast-as-lightning performance by Michael Shepherd on the drums and the dark vocals by Jim Hodge. Even though there is a short time to relax, fans of the darkest metal sounds will love that one.

2. Everything is Ending

The groovy guitar riffs are opening the almost five minute Everything is Ending. This has a bit of an intro character, before Mastiff is going for the full metal push again. And Shepherd does not wait for too long to join control of this one, driving the track with hammering beats. With some variations in speed, the song stays versatile and entertaining and is definitely not just a loud five minute showpiece of metal force.

3. Void

Deprecipice does not give you too much time to relax – and the single release Void is fully in line with it. I think about my former music teacher who stated in my childhood years that I should become a drummer. My father unfortunately declined and I learned the organ. No need for that stuff in a Mastiff stuff, indeed. With some electronic sounds, there is also a touch of metalcore in the third track.

4. Cut-Throat (feat. Ethan Lee McCarthy)

There are also two songs with guest musicians on Deprecipice. Cut-Throat is one of them, featuring Ethan Lee McCarthy from Primnate Man. This leads to an even darker, more devilish sound. If you like that kind of vocal performance, the fourth song will be an absolute treat. To me the dark roaring on the microphone, the constant sound of the guitar and the electronic sounds is a bit too much. But that’s purely a matter of taste, the arrangement of the track is well done.

5. Skin Stripper

The titles of the songs already tell you that this album is not mainstream pop at all. The Skin Stripper is not an interlude track, but just a fast metal message of 93 seconds. It definitely leaves a mark.

6. Serrated (feat. Harry Nott)

For the single release Serrated, Harry Nott from Burner is joining Mastiff. The song is one of the highlights of the album, also because the guitars are rather virtuous. On top of that, the shouting by Nott is a nice new flavor to the album.

7. Worship

I have recently been to a concert of Christian singer Jenn Bostic in London. Does Worship in the context of Mastiff mean similar thoughts and songs? You know the answer already. The song is granting itself an almost one minute slow start before the full metal force is back. The howling guitars are a lovely treat – even if you are not that much into this genre.

8. Pitiful

The instruments at Pitiful start rather quietly and thus leave space for the vocalist of the band to be fully in focus. Of course, the band cannot stand that for all five minutes of the song. They are rockers at heart. The song comes with some nice breaks and very nice work on the bass and groove side.

9. The Shape

While the Skin Stripper felt like a very short songs, the 80 seconds of The Shape are a real interlude track, which add some atmosphere and suspense to the album. Some time to look forward to the big finale.

10. Thorn Trauma

With Thorn Trauma, Mastiff is back in their core business, their comfort zone. The song is like a die-hard slap in your face, a full fist of death metal. Thereby, it is one of the most atmospheric tracks of the album.

 

Mastiff – Deprecipice – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Mastiff – Deprecipice – My View

I do understand if people are shy of listening to death and doom metal. However, this album has been a lot of fun, indeed. The band is doing a great 34 minute blast, which continuously presents new elements, but remains faithful to the spirit of Mastiff’s music. I absolutely enjoyed it.

Favorite Song: Everything is Ending

 

British Metal Reviews

Here are my Media Reviews featuring hard rock and metal from the United Kingdom:

 

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