It's been four years since the chronically overlooked Cursed dropped on the masses, and a decade since Minus The Herd single handedly reignited the eight string revolution after Meshuggah took everyone to class with Nothing. While the Canadian outfit hasn't reinvented themselves on their latest outing, they've certainly dropped an album worth dissecting.
While nowhere near as groove oriented and concise as catalogue favorite Minus... but not as scatterbrained as Gabe-era Ion, the band somehow manages to sound tighter than ever, mixing elements of both worlds seamlessly. Album opener instantly kicks us in the throat, and the track listing continues to pummel track after track with no trash filler or samples littering the release.
What's interesting to see is the band still together and producing quality aggression. While Gabe walked away from the band over ten years ago, it's still very much his soul that pours from the soundbox. While his connection to the band may have been too intimate to sustain, it's interesting to note that aside from minor credits, he hasn't bothered to regroup with the band. At the end of the day however, Cast The First Stone is a great listen, and makes for great repeated listens in it's abrupt thirty-plus minute run time.
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