Leave it to Relapse to bring us the finest in international death metal. Dreams Of Death And Dismay is nearly 47 minutes of blast beats, merciless grooves, wicked guitar harmonies and old-school death vocals that is sure to please long-time death fans.

The guitars are simply bludgeoning with super thick rhythm tones and cutting lead work. The drumming, as with many bands of this persuasion, is nearly inhuman. Ultra-tight blast beats, whirlwind fills, and a punchy tone beat into your skull like a jackhammer. This stuff is not only brutal it’s also quite musical. Amidst the pounding chaos are some impressive guitar harmonies and syncopated riffing. “Faith, Hope, Self-Deception” is a furious beast of a track beginning with some powerful double-kick drum and guitar work. The verse rhythm is a mid-tempo grinder. The guitars here are simply huge! The melodic bridge makes for a good “breather” and the aforementioned guitar harmonies are in full force here. This tune is also an example of how effortlessly the band switches from grinding grooves to blast beat bombast. “Insurrection” begins with an intense, slowed down groove before beefing it up with a mid-tempo, double kick-drum bridge. Once again, the blast beats and death growls will bore a hole into the side of your head. The 8-plus minute epic “The Temple/Erratic” showcases all the band’s elements in one glorious monster of a track!

 Tempo shifts, merciless drumming, mind-bending guitar work and vicious vocal roars permeate this song, which is sure to please those with a love of real death metal. All in all, this is a record loaded with quality musical violence! If you’re a lover of the old school, and if the mere thought of another In Flames clone would force you to shove an ice pick in your ear, seek out Anata and feast upon the brutality!

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