Originally self released back in 2009, the reissue of this Aussie trio’s second full-length CD comes to us thanks to the fine folks responsible for Diabolical Conquest ‘zine (so, whose up for Teeth of the Divine records?), and it does much the same their 2007 self-titled debut did: Old school, simple death metal with a heaping helping of doom.
Fitting snugly alongside the likes of Grave, Hooded Menace, Runemagick, Autopsy, Coffins, Funerus and such; loping mid-paced lurches meld with a few sloppy blasts filled with sickly cavernous growls. It’s all very organic, primitive and natural sounding with nary a triggered blast beat or arpeggio in sight and those wanting a break from the clinical precision of Decrepit Birth and their ilk might do well to check this out.
That being said, the almost Neanderthal approach to death metal is archaic, and beyond the enjoyable, nostalgic simplicity, there’s not that much to remember or come back to once the record is over. The initial retro buzz, burp n fuzz of “Burn Your Dead”, “Cannibal Abattoir” and the more feral ”Born in a Grave” has its moments of knuckle dragging glee but still, even the ever so catchy, groovy and almost stoner main riff of ten minute closing instrumental “Death Metal Suicide” wears out its welcome about five minutes in. Also the bands insistence of trying to inject blast beats here and there just aren’t very convincing. Instead, The Dead are far more convincing when delivering a pure unabashed, sludged out dirge like “Blood Angel”.
Still, those wanting a purely throwback album of sweaty, burly simplicity could do worse this than this and it at least come across as a bit more honest than the current wave of Incantation clones.
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Every time I hear this someone talking about these guys I instantly think The Grateful Dead. Anyways speaking of Incantation clones you should give the band Encoffination a listen.
on Dec 27th, 2010 at 22:03I agree that these cats are better when they’re mucking around in pure sludge mood. This is a nice change from many of these bands that lose the riffs and focus when they bring their death metal to a crawl so in that regard I give these guys props. A reasonable 6.5 out of 10 kind of album.
on Dec 28th, 2010 at 11:10