Maul - In The Jaws of Breavement

Maul is a death metal band from North Dakota, who formed in 2017.  Their latest release, “In The Jaws of Bereavement,” is their second full-length album.  Over the years they have also released three demos, three splits, three EPs, one compilation, and a live album.

2024 has been a truly amazing year for death metal.  I have reviewed many death metal albums that are just fantastic—the genre truly will never die.  As the year gets ever closer to its own ending, any death metal album releasing must be of the highest quality because the competition is staggering.

Maul’s “In The Jaws of Bereavement,” is a rock solid release that has a lot going for it–and there is a lot going on with it.   First, it’s surprisingly catchy–every song has a moment that stuck in my head.  It might be a riff, a drum blast, a low end bass bomb, or a snarl but there is always something that makes me say, “Wow, I need to go back here again.”  Want some examples?  Ok, I’m game.  

Let’s take a look at the title, and opening, song.  The beginning is immediately atmospheric and when the inhumane vocals kick in, the energy is amplified tenfold.  This is how you open a death metal album.  Around the 1:17 minute, a “blaaarg” rips through and the band settles into a bouncy groove.  If this doesn’t get your head banging then are you even a metalhead?

After a pummeling 51 seconds, “Weaving Cerebral Horrors,” sends the song into choppy, rhythmic waters that are held together by groove and bass drops that could sink a battleship.  And how about that eviscerating scream around the halfway mark that pushes the song into a doom inspired passage?  

Speaking of doom, this album is heavy on those components to the point where I wouldn’t correct anyone who said this album fits into the death/doom pantheon.  It isn’t overly slow most of the time but there are just so many moments with thick, fat riffs spit out by an unstoppable rhythm machine against the backdrop of a dismal atmosphere.  

“An Alluring Deceit,” is an example of which I speak.  The clean bass tones and sparse but powerful drums in the beginning immediately set a cavernous atmosphere and the rest of the band goes for broke  with it.  Slow riffs and depraved vocals grind out the seconds until the song fades away with noise.

“Midwest Death,” begins with huge riffs taking over every inch of space, like the approaching darkness of an oncoming storm.  Doooooooom!  This would be a good time to talk about the drums, on this song and album as a whole.   I like that its obviously a powerhouse but it isn't a nonstop blast beat fest or fast for the hell of it. 

It should come as no surprise due to the album title but “Stuck Stomped and Smeared” is a big ol banger of a song. The vocals are particularly engaging here, love the snarls and higher pitched crawling growls.  The riffs are quick to ramp up tension and just as effective as letting it loose.  The bass in the midpoint of the song is beastly, as is the growl that it leads off from.

The final song, “Drawn to Drowning,” is one of the more urgent songs and a good way to end the album.  The low growls are utterly disgusting and the pinch harmonics on the guitars are quite effective.  The groovy midsection is another memorable moment, as is the brutal section after with the layered vocals and stomping guitars.

Maul’s “In The Jaws of Bereavement” is an impressive death metal album that puts songwriting first, resulting in album that is as memorable as it is brutal.