Artist: Trench Foot
Country: United Kingdom
Label: Cavernous Records / Iron Fortress Records / Macho Records
Formats: Cassette EP / CD EP
Year: 2025
It hasn’t been since 2022, with the release of the ‘Moral Obscenity’ EP since we last heard from the UK Death Metal outfit Trench Foot. With that EP and the preceding solid demo and equally good split tape with Body Asphyxiation Science the foursome left a good impression, but honestly, I didn’t listen much to them after having reviewed their material some years ago. So apparently it doesn’t have the appeal to easily revisit, but on the other hand, I was curious to see what the band would bring to the table now, several years later.
Although I hadn’t listened to Trench Foot for a good while, ‘Cavernous Necrophagy’, the band’s new EP, is instantly recognizable. Basically meaning that nothing has changed in those years of silence. The band’s crunchy and rather groovy riffs and vocalist Joe Bradley’s grunts makes this EP rather easy to identify. So, as a conclusion of sorts, if you happen to enjoy the back catalogue of the band, then you can’t go wrong with ‘Cavernous Necrophagy’ either.
Yet, if you are unfamiliar with the band, I can imagine feeling a little hesitant to actually give this a chance. But, despite having the word “cavernous” in the title in combination with the cover artwork – and even having one of the cassette tape versions of this EP released through Cavernous Records, the music isn’t all that “cavernous”. The offered riffs do have quite some texture and aren’t all that much tuned down, so no walls of sound here. Instead there’s quite some intricate song writing with some mild technicalities as well, maybe not so much in a Gorguts or Cryptopsy kind of way, but it does remind me of Cannibal Corpse from around their ‘Gallery Of Suicide’-era.
Listening to the three EP’s and split in succession, you do hear a band that is in natural progression. Maybe not so much in terms of musical direction, but it is clear that Bradley is manoeuvring his vessel to higher levels with each consecutive release. I always loved the more gritty recording of the demo and the band’s contribution to the split tape with Body Asphyxiation Science, but it is undeniable that Trench Foot is a band that is searching and stretching its potential.
The most remarkable thing about this EP, however, is the fact that this is the first recording as a full band. Before Bradley was the sole member of Trench Foot, but gradually he managed to grow his project in to a full band. That, in itself, might not be much of an achievement, but the fact that this personnel transition is hardly audible is indeed something of a surprise. That means that Bradley not only found his musical soulmates in Kayne Watson (bass), Harry Walker (drums) and Max Baker (guitars), but mostly it means he did a tremendous job on how own on the band’s previous output.
