Before reading this review, take a second and search “Rouyn-Noranda QC” on Google Maps. This is the town Massive Slavery are from. It is an 8-hour drive North into the Quebec wilderness from Montreal. I’m pointing this out because the scene in Rouyn is thriving even though bands born there must travel five to eight hours minimum to get to the next population center. This is a plight many Canadian bands face and it is a testament to their tenacity and their drive to create.

On to the album! Massive Slavery deliver a refined version of melodic death metal on steroids that grips you like a vice and beats you into submission. The style is extremely straightforward, but offers up both unrelenting brutality and purely catchy tunes in a way that will make any metal militant stand to attention. The closest comparison to be made would be with Montreal’s Neuraxis, although with less prog and more death metal.

The production on Global Enslavement is absolutely huge. At the helm was Yannick St-Amand, the mastermind behind the aural assault on albums by Beneath the Massacre, Despised Icon, and many more. Needless to say, everything is in place and hits home like an eighteen-wheeler colliding with a moose. (There you go, another Northern Canada reference).

Massive Slavery take the political route with their lyrical topics. “Pull the Plug on Modern Civilization” and “The Denial of Man’s Regression” in particular need no explanation. The album cover, with references to television, violence, religion, the financial system and labor, give the impression that this band is in it for more than just good times. They have something to say, and that is extremely refreshing in a scene filled with watered-down “badass” or “dark” lyrics.

Aside from a few choice breakdowns, the band’s style generally remains melo-death-squared done to near perfection. If you’re into that and have an interest in the political message, do not hesitate to check out Global Enslavement.

4.0/5