By SS
Well, I could listen to so much of amazing death metal in 2011, thanks to a ton of recommendations and the internet discussion forum I use. The year had been awesome for the genre – so much of great stuff coming out. I have thus come up with this list of some of them. It’s not based in any order, but obviously, the first listed would be recommended more. It’s all up according to my tastes and I may have missed some remarkable ones as well, pardon me for that.
Mitochondrion > Parasignosis
Well, I could listen to so much of amazing death metal in 2011, thanks to a ton of recommendations and the internet discussion forum I use. The year had been awesome for the genre – so much of great stuff coming out. I have thus come up with this list of some of them. It’s not based in any order, but obviously, the first listed would be recommended more. It’s all up according to my tastes and I may have missed some remarkable ones as well, pardon me for that.
Mitochondrion > Parasignosis
Mitochondrion play a strange type of death metal. If you’ve listened to bands like Demilich and Portal, you know it well that it’s tough to describe the music these kind of bands play. Bizarre? Alien? Strange? Mitochondrion’s style combines those extra-terrestrial elements and crafts the oddity. It even leans till black metallic melodies, superficially, and with subtle ambience, the whole sound shaped is so eerie yet beautiful. “Parasignosis” offers more amount of experimentation than in their debut album “Archaeaeon” maintaining the unorthodox complexity in music and song-structures. This is an epitome of what experimentation and technicality merge to procreate. This is other-worldly! This is atmospheric death metal at its pinnacle!
Disma > Towards the
Megalith
Disma is the brainchild of
former Incantation throat Bill Venner and comprises of members from massive
underground legions as Funebrarum and Goreaphobia as well. This record however
sets the music differently than these bands, in a way it is more doom/sludge
ridden and tries out some diverse riffing techniques altogether. The rhythm is
thick and heavy, and the tempo is mostly kept in a glacial speed, while the
atmosphere is truly lethal. And beside the predictable similarity in style with
those of the aforementioned bands, there are clues of Immolation and Autopsy as
well. On the whole, “Towards the Megalith” is presented in a primitive and
unadulterated way, and this could probably be the heaviest in death metal this year.
Cannabis Corpse > Beneath
Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise
I have always loved this
band for their cunning play on Cannibal Corpse song-titles and this time,
they’ve turned their weedy improvisation over Deicide and Morbid Angel, and
well, that’s great. Especially the catchy-as-fuck guitar work is truly genius
here, which is the highlight throughout the whole album, the riffing being real
crunchy and enjoyable. The band has obviously discovered their own signature
sound by now, leaving behind the Cannibal Corpse traces in the beginning years.
The sick humour and tongue-in-cheek words behind such serious music is
definitely a plus point. Overall, a sick, twisted death metal fun, the best
Cannabis Corpse work till date if you ask me.
Ulcerate > The
Destroyer of All
This is one peculiar
album! And it won’t be wrong to declare by now that “The Destroyer of All” is
one of the most original in death metal in recent years. And while Ulcerate‘s
last release “Everything is Fire” had all those sparks of experimentation, this
one takes it a step further. With bazarre guitar work and atmosphere, the
overall sound is made subtly unique, inheriting the mix of Gorguts,
Mitochondrion and Portal. This is what it would sound if Deathspell Omega had
gone death metal. Relying on the stylistic backbone presented in their previous
album, Ulcerate have worked out well to make their sound even more absurd and
abstract!
Antediluvian > Through
the Cervix of Hawwah…
Another album that picks
up the traditional death metal influences and produces something refined and
non-generic. Antediluvian sound dirty, heavy and wicked, and full of ideas.
Bringing in the dirtiness of Portal and Mitochondrion in the sound, the band,
similarly as Incantation, utilizes the unrelenting atmosphere as a vicious
weapon. The song-structures are quite complex and progressive, which vary from
slow but monstrous doom/sludge segments to fast paced chug-drives, and while
not much technicality is showcased, simplicity is what has proceeded the
brutality.
Vader > Welcome to the
Morbid Reich
Vader has been one of the
most consistent bands in death metal – nearly three decades in the run and this
is the ninth full-length in their name, and which is still competent to be
their best work. Although their style has relatively been unchanged since a
long time now, they’ve been ceaselessly offering their music in top-notch
quality and that’s commendable. “Welcome to the Morbid Reich” is intense, fast,
full of climax and a collection and presentation of splendid and persevered
songwriting. While their previous work “Necropolis” was still a solid release
for me, this album comes out as yet another testament for the greatness that
Vader is. Seeing them live in October (edit: 2011) was a dream come true!
Sonne Adam >
Transformation
The duo, Sonne Adam hail
from Israel and these guys play murky doom-laden death metal conjuring up a
strong, disgusting and ritualistic atmospheric backbone, sometimes recalling
the sludgy Morbid Angel meets Incantation. The songwriter of the band, Davidov
(who plays everything except singing) has stated that MA’s “God of
Emptiness” is a huge influence on his writing, and you could predict what has
come your way. This isn’t a new formula at all, but “Transformation” has been
crafted and executed solidly. Full of brilliant riffs, the songs are
constructed with real finesse and drama, and I just love the guitar tone.
Autopsy > Macabre
Eternal
After a rather good
comeback EP last year, Autopsy have followed it up with an impressive
full-length this time. After all these years, beside some renewed elements in
their sound, it still maintains its affiliance to the classic “Severed
Survival” or “Mental Funeral” era sound, only recorded with modern tools and technologies
now. For that matter, the production is excellent here, and musically it’s a
solid deal of death, doom, sludge, grind and melody mixed up in a morbid
fashion. They’ve even been able to add versatility in these slower
manifestatations, and one could even notice the elongation of their songs, like
the eleven minutes epic “Sadistic Gratification”.
Blaspherian > Infernal
Warriors of Death
After several demos,
splits and EP, “Infernal Warriors of Death” comes out as the first full-length
by Blaspherian. These guys play old-school death metal much in style of
atmospheric Incantation, but refined with noticeable original elements. The
sound is adorned by the dirty distortions, ultra-low gutturals, dreary ambiance
and easy but chaotic riffing presented in complex song-structures that
transform from full-paced chugs to slow, evil, doom segments, portraying evil
and death in the most morbid way, musically. And while they’ve been able to
‘stay true’ to their roots, they have still worked out to create something new
out of it. Great album on the whole.
Azarath > Blasphemers’
Maledictions
Another blower from
Poland, Azarath have demonstrated their fast, evil and raw as fuck death metal
similar in style with the fellow countrymen Behemoth, Vader or Hate. Among past
releases of theirs, I’m only familiar with“Diabolic Impious Evil”, which was a
monster in itself, and this is another stronger one. The album is driven with
unbridled hatred and fury throughout, and brutality caressed with the
primitive, barbarian approach. For those who didn’t know, the drumming is done
by Inferno (of Behemoth fame) who’s the only remaining original member of the
group. All in all, albums like this and Vader’s new are what make it up after
Decapitated‘s weak return, to put forward what Polish death metal really stands
for… and these are the fastest two in my list as well!
NOTABLE MENTIONS
Morbus Chron – “Sleepers
in the Rift”: Swedish death metal refined with elements coming from early
Autopsy and “Leprosy”-era Death. A sheer balance of speed, brutality, melody and
technicality. Awesome pick for the OSDM fans.
Exhumed – “All Guts, No
Glory”: Sick, putrid deathgrind with spark of old-school death metal.
Immolation – “Providence”
(EP): Nothing new on the table with this EP, but Immolation’s use of unique
sounds to enhance the depth of their music is commendable in itself. Heavy,
complex and executed excellently, these guys never fail to impress.
Nader Sadek – “In the
Flesh”: The supergroup consists of Blasphemer, Flo Mounier, Steve Tucker and
Marcin Nowak “Novy” in the line-up. Interesting enough, eh? And they’ve done it
in style. This is what the new Morbid Angel should have sounded like.
Goreaphobia – “Apocalyptic
Necromancy”: Thrashy, primitive death metal with a new-school vibe also present
– fast, sinister and demonic, and with careful songwriting, offering lots of
moments.
Obscura – “Omnivium”:
Technical death metal that isn’t exhausting! Chock-full of hypnotic riffs,
marvelous arpeggios and neo-classical lead solos in here. Forget about
Necrofagist not releasing anything new, for this destroyer has come out. Best
in technical death metal this year? I assume so!
Necros Christos – “Doom of
the Occult”: Doom-laden occult death metal, conjuring a rich ritualistic
atmosphere and riding a simplistic approach, enhancing the depth and heaviness
of music. Certainly, here is more than death metal, and half of the tracks are
exotic instrumentals, ambients and interludes, acquiring influence from
Mesopotamian/Persian/Indian grounds. Some riffs are quite bleak which make a
slight hitch.
Abysmal Dawn – “Leveling
the Plane of Existence”: Fast, furious and technical, with decent songwriting
depicting Hate Eternal or the likes.
Macabre – “Grim Scary
Tales”: I adore Macabre for their wicked attempt at humour and amusement, and
fun-filled play – thrashy death metal with lots of out-of-the-box, exceptional
elements put in. I wouldn’t consider this their best work, but it’s good for an
open ear… like any of their previous.
Benighted – “Asylum Cave”:
Modern deathgrind with intelligent and varied riffing.