From the frigid nether region of Halifax comes the debut album from Select and Dismember, an excellent maiden voyage into the overcrowded and polluted waters of brutal death metal. Annihilation Foretold is a swirling, barbaric slab of extreme music in vein of Krisiun, Hate Eternal, Diabolic, and Sinister, though the band thankfully doesn’t just blast away for an entire album like the aforementioned acts. Select and Dismember, though they are young rookies to the scene, have honed their skills more than expected and have added scant influences of Carcass and even some Kreator-styled thrash to their brand of DM.

Annihilation Foretold is a relentless attacker that goes for the jugular from the get-go, but the five dudes have a definite finesse to their songwriting abilities. When the band isn’t hammering away with reckless abandon, they rein in the turrets and hook the listener with catchy riffs and a subtle sense of groove. Their speedier elements are blistering and their slower passages are like a ton of bricks, but Select and Dismember also can write one hell of a hook interspersed between the frenzy.

Whether it’s the awesome “Spawn Creation Manifold” with its Exodus-like thrashiness early on or album highlight “A Vision for the Blind” with its infectious middle section, these kids know how to write some wicked tunes scattered across the album’s eight tracks. The guitars of Chris O’Neill and Ryan Hand are ferocious (like they ought to be) and the duel vocals, though a rather stale element of death metal these days, is executed well, for the most part. Lead vocalist Raland Kinley tends to be a little bit too monotone as the album spins for a while, but that’s nothing a little more time behind the mic can’t help.

The only real drawback from the overall production is that Corey Andrews’ (of Cephalectomy)  drumming has been sucked of its life due to the final mix; the drums are way too clicky. The drums on any metal album, especially death metal, should be thundering and murderous. It’s a shame because Andrews’ style fits the allotted songs well.

Aside from that gripe, the only other drawback is that the music found within the album is nothing new; everything Select and Dismember has created for their debut has been done a million times already. However, these cats certainly have a wealth of potential festering inside them and, given the right amount of time, can turn into an absolute monster. They tend to be a little too brutal just for sake of being brutal at times throughout Annihilation Foretold, but their ability to write actual songs is evident on this record. Go far, this band should.

[Visit the band's website]

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