For over a quarter of a century Polish band PEACEMAKER have been delivering a rather explosive mixture of hardcore, death metal, sludge and grindcore, and what is most impressive is that there has been no slacking in terms of energy and aggression. If anything, this quintet have become more enraged as the years have progressed and that makes their latest album, Internal Revolution, a dangerous affair. As the planet continues to be plagued by war and pestilence, it seems that hard times do indeed create hard responses and if proof were need that art imitates life, you need look no further than this nine track collection.

Formed in Rawicz in 1996, things really started moving for this crew when they changed their name to PEACEMAKER two years later, and since then it has been full steam ahead. Each successive release has built upon its predecessor with the band constantly refining their sound and Internal Revolution is probably its ultimate distillation. It’s a hard, uncompromising sound which pours from the speakers and it is best exemplified by opening shot ‘(We Come) From Nowhere’. Introduced by Jankes’ caustic vocals, this is the perfect statement of intent and signposts what will come over the next thirty minutes. It speeds by like thrash, yet it has that dirty bass rumble more in tune with hardcore punk, there’s the heavy groove of metalcore (think Crowned Kings) but it also has the sludgy punch of Eyehategod. PEACEMAKER’s genius lies in bringing all these disparate elements together in a cohesive whole; like a bunch of mad scientists they’ve fused these styles into a volatile brew, and created a sound that ruptures like a nuclear reactor.

It is no easy task for a band to play any type of crossover; fumble the ball and they can find themselves in a kind of musical no-man’s-land and with no appreciable audience to play to. Evidencing just how pliable PEACEMAKER’s sound is, ‘Stay Human’ features a guest spot from Bloodstained vocalist Brasi and gives the track a distinctly death metal vibe as the band swagger like Cannibal Corpse on a murderous rampage. It’s the band’s ability to shapeshift whilst retaining their core sound that makes this release such an engaging listen and ensures that things never become staid. Subsequently, the amphetamine-fuelled title track sits next to crushing ‘Hate Crosses Borders’ quite effortlessly and means that each song lands like a heavy blow.

Back in 2017, PEACEMAKER self-released a three song EP titled Words Of My Life and now those songs are added to Internal Revolution as bonus tracks and they are illustrative of how the band’s sound has evolved in the preceding years and it makes Internal Revolution an essential purchase.

• Internal Revolution is released via Spook Records and is available now (from here).
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Track List:

1. We Come (From Nowhere)
2. Stay Human
3. Infected Mind
4. Today Is The Day
5. Internal Revolution
6. Hate Crosses Borders
7. The Rat Race Has Started *
8. 99 Thousand Of Lies *
9. Words Of My Life *

* From Words Of My Life EP