Alement

Reviews

Alement Banished Sphere 12″

ALEMENT is among the best current North American crust outfits. Howling devastation of the highest order, they’ve been honing their craft for a decade, and 2024’s Banished Sphere lands like the realization of those efforts. Think MISERY and AMEBIX as reference points for sure, but the metallic churn is special—“Surreal Wisdom” as a perfect example, while “Ritual Perdition” owes as much to Metal Blade-era SLAYER as to AMEBIX. Vocals are like a desperate warning and the riffs churn, repetitive pummeling spread out over six apocalyptic movements. This listens like a fully-realized recording (and release), less common in this era of streams and tracks and extremely welcome to these ears.

Alement Onward EP

ALEMENT is a crust band from Philly with a hideously dark guitar tone, trashy riffs, raspy vocals, fun solos, and furious tempos. Think AXEGRINDER, AMEBIX, and the like. Just three songs on this EP from last year, but you can expect a hell of a ride. “Sea of Consequence” starts with a full trash assault, reminiscent of ENGLISH DOGS in its most violently-induced slam riffery. “Dwell” develops with even more metal-sounding riffs, with some cool mid-tempo choruses and gigantic breakdown worthy of a wall of death. “Onward” ends the EP in a darker tone. It begins with a drone-y and doomy intro, followed by an amazing demonstration of killer after killer riff and epic solos, a real tour de force.