Holy fucking shit... this completely decimates their last record. No kidding. Fuck it. The last record pretty much blew ass compared to this. I thought "World ov Worms" was alright at first, but I listened to it a few times and that was it. And this fucker is a crushing death metal record. Awesome. Right off the bat the recording kills. The guitar tone is fucking massive, the drums are rigid but totally clear and well mixed so that they've got enough density and aren't at all distracting (a plus because the drum performance is pretty damn slick), the vocals are generally low growls that are fairly well enunciated and often become a bit clearer and more defined, and you can hear just a little bass back there. I'd like to hear more bass, but this sounds great regardless. The songwriting is basically straight up death metal, taking some of the Morbid Angel types of influences from their debut to the next level. There are still some creatively dissonant riffs that have a Norwegian black metal edge, but even the most extreme speeds on this record never shed the death metal vibe (things even get almost classic Deicide-like during "No Name Above the Names"). Plus there are some blazing melodic solos, tons of menacing slow breaks... it's solid across the board. Among the highlights are the obscenely raging moderately paced rhythms of "Core Solution"; the twisted melodies, plodding tempos, and diverse vocal performance of "Two Thousand Years"; and the thick melodic chords and synth layers in the true standout "An Eclectic Manner". The layout is fucking awesome on this thing. I'm sort of tired of the "movie poster" look that they employ on the front cover, but it looks better than average here because the imagery is great, as is the color scheme and the clean yet busy arrangements of text and textures. And what's more - there are actually brief passages that explain what the songs are about!? I can't think of any other death metal album of this nature where I've seen such a thing before. What are the songs dealing with? "Academic theory distinguishes between two different ways of building religious authority. The first is the priestly method, normally corresponding to the big monotheistic religions, which build their power upon continuity between the transcendental and the earthly realm. Continuity through salvation, the other, the prophetic method, gains power through proclaiming discontinuity between the two worlds. Chaos and anarchy are synonymous with our present world and only a total Armageddon can make the situation better." Good enough? That's only one track, of course, but you get the idea. I'm all for it! Nice work. I'm pretty impressed by this one. I can't imagine anyone not agreeing that this totally eclipses their debut. Check this one out.
[Candlelight]
Running time - 41:54, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Core Solution, Two Thousand Years, An Eclectic Manner]
Candlelight Records - http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk
