You kind of know what you are getting just by looking at the cover of the debut from Pittsburgh’s Kamikabe; the logo, the artwork, the label, etc; yup- techy, brutal death metal/deathcore that culls from the likes of label mates like Fallujah and Halo of Gunfire, early The Faceless and Born of Osiris (minus the keys)  and Burning the Masses as it does Origin, Gorod and Decrepit Birth. And that will be the main sticking point for those wanting to check out this competent band as they fall squarely between the two genres.

Those who enjoy the polished and processed sweepy, slightly melodic yet technical death metal of the bands mentioned above will definitely dig this but be warned is does have a slight  deathcore vibe to it by way of the bands looks, production and vocals. That being said there are no bass drops or breakdowns so those that can get over the bands deathcore looks and tinge will find a pretty solid band that’s par for the course in this era of ‘modern death metal’.

While few of the songs or riffs on Aberration of Man really stand out or blow me away, its 33 minute run time is chock full of furious and complex, yet pristine brutality that blurs the who deathcore/tech death metal line with aplomb. All of the players are excellent musicians with focus being squarely on the twiddly guitars and intense drummer. Thankfully the deathcore element isn’t one that relies on breakdowns or bass drops as Kamikabe rarely deviate from ADD addled shreddage and time changes.

Luckily, thanks to the skill of the band and a few more killer moments buried in the tracks keep the album from being a bit more of a forgetful nooddlefest. The likes of “Sufferer” (with a tasty d-beat rumble which seems to appear in other tracks here and there), killer standout “The Process Within”, “Only the Dead Rest” and “Magure” (with a crushing closing) give the album some real oomph and pace amid the throttling pace and savage twiddling. And in fact, the more I listened to this, the more killer stuff I heard as the band really delivers some good stuff amid the twiddling. The closing track, the 6 +minute “Ungoliant” ends the album with a very well done and much needed respite with a slow, churning and menacing instrumental number that shows Kamikabe can in fact reign things in if they choose. Which has all the makings of a pretty promising band if they keep it up.

As with the genre’s requirement, the production is crisp and polished with the bass only making a twangy appearance here and there (“Only the Dead Rest”), but may be too clean for some death metal purists who think the likes of Gorod and Spawn of Possession are soulless, riffless plastic sound bands.

Now, can someone please tell me what or who a Kamikabe is? . I thought it might be ‘ones who put wrong postage on their CD package’ but its not.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments