Immortal Bird is an extreme metal band from Chicago, Illinois, who formed in 2013. Their latest album, ‘Sin Querencia,” is their third full-length album; they have also released two EPs.
In 2019, I reviewed their previous full-length for Metal Temple, “Thrive on Neglect,” and absolutely loved it. I still jam it occasionally so I’ve been waiting a long time to hear this new beast. The wait for “Sin Querencia,” was worth it–and then some.
This album continues the exploration of their sound without boundaries—there isn’t really any way to classify their sound other than simply calling it metal or Immortal Bird. They are what they are and do what they do. I could sit here all day and explain that I hear black metal and crust, among several other things, but it’s better if I just talk about why the album kicks ass and why this band is one of the best on the scene playing extreme metal.
The production is incredible—every instrument, every note, every screen, and growl can be heard with equal measure. But there is also a unique rawness to the album that makes it incredibly dense, weighty, and biting. And how about the guitar tone? Immaculate.
This band is a three piece but they make as much noise as an airplane flying through your face. Rae’s vocals are among the best I’ve heard this year—she is a rare beast and I would put her up against anyone in the scene. Matt’s drums and Nate’s guitars/bass match her energy and fervor 100%. There isn’t one point on this album where the band takes a rest. They put a 1000% into each song.
The most impressive aspect of “Sin Querencia,” is the band hasn’t made their music more accessible—they have doubled down on their sound and if you don’t like it then fuck you. They embrace who they are and what they want to play—and that can be both heard and felt throughout this beastly opus.
The flow of the album is another highlight. The album contains 8 songs and a run time of just under 36 minutes—absolutely perfect for what they are doing. Each song flows into the next one and it’s placed right where it needs to be.
As for the songs, they are definitely riff based but are fully capable of building up the atmosphere within seconds before going for the throat. The moody opening of “Bioluminescent Toxins,” is a prime example. The bass and melancholic guitars build up through a somber and gloomy haze but by the 1:30 mark, the band is stomping my face into the ground. The song rips through groove, bludgeoning, and straight-up abrasive passages—-an exceptionally strong opening song.
The drums are deep and rich, crushing fathoms transformed into music. These brutal waves crash against the guitar in “Consanguinity.” The bass pairs alongside the guitar, offering a bed of dense and melancholic savagery before the song embraces liminal elements with a clever clean passage. However, by the time the halfway mark arrives, the band is once again firing on all cylinders—unstoppable and nearly inconceivable.
There are moments across the album where the song is so palpable that I swear I could feel it pressing against me. “Ocean Endless,” is a prime example of how physical their sound can be. I wasn’t sure if my headphones would survive this rumbling assault; like a snowball that gains mass and momentum as it rolls towards its conclusion, the song begins hard and just keeps piling it on. The passage from 2:17 to 2:38 is easily one of the most harrowing and ravaging pieces of music I’ve heard in the last half of 2024. Jesus titty fucking christ what a song!
The best has been saved for last with the title track, “Sin Querencia.” This is perhaps the best song the band has ever written. This song is beyond the extreme—one of those songs that explains why people love metal and why others can't. If you get it, you get it and this song will be your anthem. If you don’t, then why are you here anyway? The bass alone is ready to kill but every second, every note of this final song is its own explosion. From 2:52 to all the way to end at 4:44 is perfection. If someone asked me for a definition of extreme metal…this song is all they need to walk away with an understanding.
Immortal Bird once again offers an impressive collection of songs as they march their way to a flawless discography. If “Sin Querencia” doesn’t make a lot of publication’s year end lists, then let's just throw the world away and start over.
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