THE SHEEP DESTROYER CREW is a Black/Death band based out of my neck of woods, Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was formed back in 2016. They had released an EP entitled "Endless Fire" back in 2017, so this is their first official full-length named "Unstable Minds: Blighted Fantasies" which was released back in 2019.

"Biomech Factory" has a really nice throwback groove to it, similar a bit to the band 16 but with harsher vocals that really have a perfect blend of death and black metal. This is a straight-ahead number that has a good share of melodies and a very thrashy vibe to it. A very strong start to the album. Also an interesting note, they have a bit of sci-fi metal aspect to them, even if it is very subtle. "Pool of Hope" has a nice PANTERA-style drumming part at the beginning and a really cool southern metal riff pattern. There is a nice breakdown used as well for a short period. Another solid track. "Riding Vulture" musically brought me back to the days when IN FLAMES and DARK TRANQUILLITY had low-tone guitars that just shredded your head off. It also has a great solo and an AT THE GATES feeling to it, which should make it an instant hit in a live setting.

"Blurry" has that live-performance sound to it, making the song extremely energetic and lively. This has a modern twist on DISSECTION (especially in the vocal delivery), with a tinge of PISSING RAZORS, making it a very intriguing track. The most interesting song in terms of melody is by far is "Captain Obvious" that encapsulates what I love the most in metal, Swedish melodic death metal. Simple arrangements that are repeated and stick in your brain hours after the song has finished. Definitely my favorite song on this album. "Dead Morning" is a bit more chaotic in its structure as it does not use the same standards as the previous songs. It really dwells on black metal anger and has some similarities to WATAIN

"Deceivers" is one of the slowest numbers on the album but it packs a hell of a punch with that DISMEMBER aggression and buildup. It has that uneasy feeling that only one other band I know is capable of: BEHEMOTH. My second favorite song from this release. Another noteworthy number is "Nuclear Disaster" that has a mixture of creepy keyboard effects, dastardly bass lines and many levels of crust in the guitars. It sounds incredibly dirty and delivers a fair share of violence in its musical progressions, akin to EMPEROR or DIMMU BORGIR. The album ends on a very strong note with this song.

Honestly I had no idea what to expect from this project and hearing so many different influences from the American metal icons or sludge/doom artists, as well as old school black and death metal bands as well, it looks like these guys have a promising future as they have mixed everything together perfectly and still managed to craft their own style and sound. If you have not heard of these guys before, give this album a spin.