Review by Sam on May 10, 2026.

So, what does Fournier mean? Other than obscure French professional basketball player Evan Fournier, I was unfamiliar with the word, so I turned to google translate where I found that it means "provide" in English. A brutal death metal trio from New Zealand surely must have good reason to give their band such a name, but those reasons shall remain unclear. It could be a French surname describing the occupation of a baker who tends the fire of an oven or furnace? That does sound pretty metal. One look at their distinctly illegible logo and you know this shit's gonna be hairy.

Don't let the weird band name and unreadable insignia discourage you from checking these guys out because this brief four song demo is packed with potential from these deathly Kiwis. Old school brutality is the name of the game here, with tremolo picking and blast beat combat a defining technique throughout. I do believe I detect an appreciation for "Formulas Fatal to the Flesh", yet not quite as grandiose as the divisive 1998 work from the masters. The production here is warm and analogous, and I always love it when the bass drums pummel rather than click. The snare drum is also ideal for the genre, fully cranked, bright with metallic resonance but unobtrusive.

After about a minute of an anonymously hellish intro that sounds like failing machinery combined with the shrieks of the damned, Fournier make their presence felt with authority. Opening number "Cast Adrift" reeks of Morbid Angel with its predominant 6/8 meter that seamlessly modulates between double and half time as vocalist Joe Wright uses low gutturals to detonate like a priest of hell. Drummer Jef Lepper (fucking killer stage name) flexes his impressive chops on this mini album, especially on second track "Constructing The Ark" with its off kilter beats and creative coloring with china and ride. The first riff of "Supreme Ornaments" has the distinct flavor of early Slayer, and when it devolves into tremolo treachery through one speaker, you can hear one of the dudes coughing in the background. I've always believed that the finest death metal comes from the minds of the stoned. These are highly skilled musicians who are not afraid to display their technical prowess, yet none of this material comes off as pretentious. They just want to crush your skull.

Fournier sound pretty scary and I would be hesitant to approach them with suggestions based on the violently depraved atmosphere they have created with this opening volley. I'm just not sure the name is representative of the sound. However, the logo is most certainly an indication of the suffocating, malevolent and relentless death metal contained on this demo, and this fact is indeed why I decided to give it a listen rather than just trashing the email. Well that, and because they have a fella goes by the name Jef Lepper on bass guitar and drums.

Rated: 9 out of 10 slain Goliaths