Karras – We Poison Their Young Review

I recently turned 10 years old this past week. Not literally, of course, but rather in Angry Metal Guy years, and in those 10 years I noticed that major websites and publications have a rigid appendage for promoting rotating flavors of different months. Who is this month’s actuating portions of bee legs? This month’s vocalization and sleepwear of felines? Whether they’re willing to admit it or not, these label-paid tastemakers are responsible for the perception of who is utter absolute defecation, and who is the utter absolute defecation, and that’s not always fair. Because of that, damn good bands fall through the cracks, and it’s my sworn duty to make sure that you, dear reader, are aware of such gems.

Karras are one such gem. Named after Father Damian Karras from The Exorcist, this French power(violence) trio expend tons of energy and vinegar, but precious little time, on their second full-length We Poison Their Young. To quote the vernacular, this strikes the face and/or buttocks region with an open-palm swipe AND it has enjoyable recreational sexual intercourse. This is the type of grind and punky, powerful powerviolence that your late grandpappy warned you about when he was cradling his shotgun from the comfort of his rocking chair on the porch, all while blaring Napalm Death and Nasum at ear-bleeding volumes. Opener “Prelude to the Depths” sets you up nicely for what’s in store during these brisk 20 minutes: grimy-yet-addictive riffs, vicious drumming, and the high-pitched barking of bassist Diego Janson. In those two minutes, they managed to grab my attention better than bands who take four times the length to get their message across.

It doesn’t hurt that these songs either groove, punish, bulldoze, or all of the above in the scant timeframes they’re alotted. “Roland Doe,” a tale of a teenage boy who was the victim of demonic possession, lays out a sick groove that swings hard. Elsewhere, “Demons Got Rhythm,” easily one of the best song titles I’ve heard in ages, tears at a blistering rate in only eight seconds. Album standout and Song o’ the Year candidate “Ritual Overdose” sees drummer Etienne Sartrou and guitarist Yann Heurtaux in monstrous lockstep, culminating in one of the nastiest hooks I’ve heard in quite a while, and I guarantee you’ll make the scrunchiest stinkface as well while hearing and feeling it. It’s a stupid good groove on an album rife with stupid good grooves.

There are very few things wrong with We Poison Their Youth, but they do need mentioning. For starters, with the exception of “Demons Got Rhythm,” the ultra-short¹ songs could do with a little more fleshing out to make a better lasting impact. Also, there’s a bit of that deja-vu feeling, as it feels like hooks are bleeding into each other a bit too much. Finally, the biggie is that this is the personification of “mood music.” This is the ultimate soundtrack for when you’re either in the red emotionally, or you’re approaching that zone quickly. This will get you gains and smashed PRs in no time, however, so this isn’t really bad.

And really, it’s been a hot minute since a grind album has knocked me loose like We Poison Their Youth. I hadn’t even been aware of Karras’ existence until I grabbed this for review, but now I’m damn sure to keep an eye and ear out for future releases. We Poison Their Youth, to again quote the vernacular, is the container filled with explosive, incendiary material, smoke, gas, or other destructive substance, designed to explode on impact or when detonated by a time mechanism, remote-control device, or lit fuse.² Give this a listen, and you will agree.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: M-Theory Audio
Websites: karrasband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/karrasband
Releases Worldwide: September 29th, 2023