Lock Up — Brethren Of The Pentagram( CD boxset)

Brethren Of The Pentagram is a four-CD box set bringing together the first three studio / live albums from grindcore/death metal/ death grind supergroup Lock Up. Over its existence, the band has featured members of Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir, Hypocrisy, and At The Gates.

The release appears on Dissonance Productions, which is the extreme metal-releasing sub-label of Cherry Red. The CD’s each come in their own card slips, which feature reproductions of the original album's art. Also included is a glossy thirty-two-page book, featuring interviews with each of the key members, as well as tons of band photos, flyers, album art, photo collages, etc. With the whole thing being present in a thick/ glossy black flip-side box.

The band were formed in 1998, with the initial line-up being Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Nick Barker (ex-Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir) and Jesse Pintado (Napalm Death, Terrorizer).To date, they have released five studio albums- Pleasures Pave Sewers (1999), Hate Breeds Suffering (2002), Necropolis Transparent (2011), Demonization (2017), The Dregs of Hades (2021), and one live album, Play Fast or Die: Live in Japan (2005).

So, the set opens up with their 1999 debut, Pleasures Pave Sewers- which was originally released by Nuclear Blast. The lineup for the just over twenty-nine-minute LP was Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy) – vocals, Nick Barker – drums, Shane Embury – bass, and Jesse Pintado – guitars. It’s a thirteen-track affair, with tracks lasting between just under a minute and just over three & a half minutes. Things kick off with “After Alife In Purgatory” with its truly pummelling ‘n’ speedily flaying drums, whizzing chainsaw guitars, and baying/ growling vocals. There’s the viciously galloping, snare drum smarting, and at points duel vocal attack barrage of “Delirium”. In the album's second half, we move from “The Dreams Are Sacrific” which alternates between rapid chugging ‘n’ darting and what sounds like a sped-up-to-the-max Celtic Frost riff. And “Salvation thru' Destruction” which opens with just a tight bass guitar & drum battering attack, before launching into bashing ‘n’ smashing grindcore, with some truly breathtaking drum & riff workouts. Pleasures Pave Sewers is a truly ferocious/ take no prisoner’s debut; yes, you can hear touches of each member's other projects here & there, but it also has its own distinctive edge too. There are no bonus/ extra tracks on this disc.

On to disc two, and we find the band's second album, 2002’s Hate Breeds Suffering- which once again first appeared on Nuclear Blast. The line-up was the same, save for Tomas Lindberg (At The Gates) replacing Tägtgren on vocals. The album took in sixteen tracks, with its first quarter featuring tracks under two minutes, though none of the tracks last much above the two-minute mark. We move from the rapidly chugging grind 'n' drum battering of “Castrate The Wreckage” which is topped with smartingly growled yells. There’s “Slaughterous Ways” which starts off mid-paced chugg ‘n’ bound, before launching into a speeding & ear-searing rush. We have “Horns Of Venus” which moves from rapid double-stepping uneasy riffing, to grinding chainsaw guitar & inhumanly fast drum attack. Or “High Tide In A Sea Of Blood” which blends gunning grindcore with death metal riff-searing, before shifting into some moshing ‘n’ batter breakdowns. Hate Breeds Suffering sees the band sharpening/ focusing their craft, with both the speed levels and limb-ripping riffs enhanced. Though maybe it’s just me, but the production did feel somewhat flat- less dynamic compared with the debut. This CD takes in three bonus tracks- two of which are live tracks.

On to disc three and we have the band's third album Necropolis Transparent- which appeared in 2011, once more on Nuclear Blast. The line-up was Tomas Lindberg- vocals, Shane Embury- bass, Nick Barker-drums, and Anton Reisenegge (Brujeria)- guitar with backing vocals on a few tracks by Jeff Walker (Carcass), and Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy). It’s a seventeen-track album, and I’d say on the whole it sounds like a crossbreed between battering death metal and speeding hardcore. We go from the buzzing ‘n’ rolling riffing to gunning speed runs of “The Embodiment Of Paradox And Chaos”. “Rage Incarnate Reborn” blends gunning gallops ‘n’ death chugs. Or the rapid see-saw, bound, and chugg of “Vomiting Evil”. I’d say of the three studio albums here Necropolis Transparent is my least favourite- this is down to both Lindberg's vocals, which sound more shouty, and the hardcore/ DM feel of a lot of the tracks. This CD features five bonus tracks.

Finally, we have the live album Play Fast Or Die- Live In Japan, which was first released in 2005 by Toys Factory label. It takes in a twenty-track live recording Club Quattro, Nagoya, on the 28th of June 2002. The line-up was Tomas Lindberg (vocals), Shane Embury (bass), Nick Barker (drums), and Jesse Pintado (guitar). This is a decent enough live recording, with a largely good balance between all the instruments and vocals, with some distant crowd noise in between tracks. The album features a good selection of classic tracks from their first two albums, played with real precision and intensity.

Brethren Of The Pentagram is a great bringing together of all of Lock Up’s earlier material. And truly, at the height of their powers, they were such an intense/ unrelenting/ unforgiving musical force.