Album Review: Brat – Manslayer (Prosthetic Records)

Bimboviolence flagbearers Brat return with their vicious new album ‘Manslayer’, released 25th September via Prosthetic Records.

Brat are back and back with their most varied album yet, musically. Where you’ll hear death metal, thrash metal, hardcore, and more across the seventeen tracks. Which sounds like a lot, but three of them are an intro, outro, and interlude, and many of the tracks come in at around the two-minute mark. This is a focused Brat, and a major part of that focus comes from the album’s perspective which can best be summed up as ‘women’s revenge’. Giving us an album of two halves: the first of which centres on the struggles women encounter in day-to-day life, albeit with a certain amount of horror-laden razmataz, Brat style. Whereas the second half is all about revenge, bloody and violent revenge.

It’s no surprise that such an album would feature a track inspired by Aileen Wuornos, the infamous serial killer, and following a noisy intro, it’s what gets things started. Brat immediately showing off some their growth as this track crosses into two-step territory and features cool sounding harmonised shouts.

I think we can all agree that Liz Selfish is an absolute beast of a vocalist, but she has really expanded on what she can do here and while that range still sits on the heavier side of things, she’s sounding stronger and scarier. Check out Speculum Bleed for example, a track with groovier arrangements, and the Botch Tox, a track with a raw, punky undercurrent. In between those snarky efforts is a tongue-in-cheek reminder that head banging too hard can be dangerous, although the likes of Media Slop and Trophy Hunting are likely to encourage plenty, nonetheless.

The latter is one of my favourites as the guitar tone is really meaty sounding and the drums go hard, combining thrashy elements with hardcore energy. However, I’m also a bit impartial to the brilliant Asking for Hell, which has some real groove to it, and the excellent Heretic Burning, with its bulbous bass tone.

That brings the first half to a close as it’s time for slaughter with a very cool Interlude setting the scene. From that to the title track, which may be the best example of what defines this album. Violent and hostile, and more than willing to spill blood and crush balls, yet there’s just a touch of black humour too. It’s very Brat, albeit an evolved Brat and this exciting direction continues with mighty aplomb on Bloody Mary. Another absolute head banger that is far more fun than this kind of heaviness has any right to be.

It’s killer stuff, and getting in on the action is David Davidson of Revocation and Candace Buckingham of Walls of Jericho. The former delivers some ripping soloing on Femicidal Vengeance, although that’s a track that’s memorable for the scream. What scream, you ask? Trust me, you’ll know it when you hear it. The latter lends her incredible voice to Blistered Tongues later and it slays.

Elsewhere and capping off a rampage like no other, it’s Spit on His Grave and Ways to Kill Your Husband. An ambitious record crashing out in style as Brat leave a trail of bodies in their wake. They’ve nailed it and really shown more sides to their sound, which is only going to help them grow.

Brat – Manslayer Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Aileen Wuornos
3. Speculum Bleed
4. Bone Spurs
5. Botch Tox
6. Media Slop
7. Trophy Hunting
8. Asking For Hell
9. Heretic Burning
10. Interlude
11. Manslayer
12. Bloody Mary
13. Femicidal Vengeance (feat. David Davidson of Revocation)
14. Spit On His Grave
15. Ways To Kill Your Husband
16. Blistered Tongues (feat. Candace Buckingham of Walls of Jericho)
17. Outro

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