Execration “Odes of the Occult” 2xLP

From Duplicate Records comes the sophomore full-length from excellent Norwegian death metal act Execration (it's supposed to be coming out in the US on Vendlus, but their website has stated such with no specific details for some time now). While 2008's "Syndicate of Lethargy" was somewhat more straightforward and in your face, it's now obvious that the band is taking their core of classic, aggressive death metal in varying directions—with quite a bit of subtle technicality in tow. This time out there's a lot more atmospheric, discordant riffing; weird bends; atypical uses of dual guitar harmonies; slower, "doomier" passages; etc.—all of which is actually somewhat reminiscent of a less chaotic Ulcerate. "Grains" is among the shortest, most furious attacks; "Intermezzo I" and "Intermezzo II" utilize somber, warped clean passages over restrained feedback or distant percussion; "Left in Scorn" opens slowly with some crawling, hard-panned melodies; and "A Crutch for Consolation" tops 11 minutes—complete with sleek acoustic passages, tons of tempo shifts, and some flurries of hyper tremolo picking with additional vocal variation (not to mention some really energetic vocal arrangements); to cite but a few areas of interest. The recording has a little more of a raw warmth to it here as well, which actually gives the vocals a nice, strained texture so they no longer come across as just guttural growls; as well as offering the bass just enough breathing room to be audible in the mix. Great covert art, too—simple yet effective. I don't really follow much death metal these days, but Execration is absolutely top-notch stuff, so I certainly recommend their efforts...

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Execration (2xLP/mp3)
Duplicate Records (2xLP)
Contagion Releasing and Distribution (2xLP)
Amazon.com (mp3)
Bandcamp (mp3)
iTunes (mp3)