EP Review: Corrupt Moral Altar – Patiently Waiting For Wonderful Things

One of the few silver linings about living through a global shitshow – be it political, social or even viral – is the chance that it might inspire certain artists to create some magnificently pissed off, warped and twisted material. So take a bow, Corrupt Moral Altar. The Liverpudlians have returned with a short, sharp five-track EP and they’ve never sounded nastier. “Powerfully ignorant songs for truly ignorant times,” proclaims frontman Chris Reese of the horror within, and it’s difficult to disagree.

The band features Napalm Death and Anaal Nathrakh live guitarist John Cooke in its ranks, and that’s a good jumping off point. It is just that though, because while Corrupt Moral Altar can grind with the best of them, they bring in a number of other different elements. Where many grindcore albums can turn into a faceless blur, each song here is its own unique entity. Opener Cathedral Of Porn introduces the scuzzy punk riffs and raw but infectious hooks they do so well, while You Smell Expensive starts off slow, sludgy and ugly, with a bass like a bowel movement from hell, before cranking up into pure death metal territory.

The band do use standard death metal and grindcore conventions when they want to, but you’re never sure when they might just dissolve into noise-rock chaos or take an unexpected turn. The splendidly-titled Maximum Bastardry takes garage punk from the dankest of garages before descending into squalling chaos, while Spirit Breaker sandwiches its nastiness between post-rock swirls and some neat jazzy drumming.

The title, you suspect, is supposed to be ironic. But for fans of music’s seedier, more repugnant and downright nasty underbelly, something quite wonderful has already arrived.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Napalm Death, Venomous Concept, Fistula

Patiently Waiting For Wonderful Things is out now via APF