Cryptopsy – Page 4 – Wonderbox Metal

Human Devastation – Condenacion (Review)

This is the début album from Mexican Death Metallers Human Devastation.

This is Brutal Death Metal, and thankfully there is no waste-of-space intro; the first song Bienvenido a mi Mente opens up straight into the action.

The band deal in savagery, aggression and misanthropy. The songs pummel and beat and the vocals sound inhuman.

My, my there are some nice riffs on this. The band may be all about the brutality but they still know how to pen a good tune. They can play too, as shown by the blistering solos that appear now and again like spikes through flesh. The drummer seems a bit of a monster too.

This has a bit of a mid-period Cryptopsy feel to it in places, as well as reminding of Iniquity now and again. For this style of music Human Devastation are relatively varied as they don’t remind of any one band overwhelmingly; rather they incorporate a smattering of influences into their brutal whole. Even the singer demonstrates a good range.

This definitely has its own personality and its good to see a new band forging ahead on their own rather than just following others and paying homage.

Condenacion is a very strong first release and if there’s any justice in the world should see the band become a key player in the Death Metal underground.

Deformatory – In The Wake of Pestilence (Review)

In The Wake of Pestilence is the début album from Canada’s Deformatory.

Deformatory play Technical Death Metal and they play it well.

The songs are heavy and blur by in a dazzle of intricate technicality and blasting drums. They don’t forgo a decent bit of melody when necessary either though, although other times the emphasis is firmly on pure fretboard brutality.

These Canadians have taken the blueprint drawn up by bands like Cryptopsy and Yattering and from these plans created their own castle of Death Metal impenetrability.

The musicianship is first rate and the playing may be technical but it doesn’t smother the soul of the band; the songs have intricate but involving structures. The band know when to simplify things as well, as sometimes you just need to feel the guitars!

The vocalist is a guttural joy to listen to; deeply satisfying and deeply bowel-loosening. He has a very impressive voice.

This is an excellent example of Technical Death Metal done right. Listen to Deformatory.

Lichmistress – Singularity (Review)

This is the recently released first demo from Polish band Lichmistress, and it has made an impression!

At two songs and 10 minutes in length this sets the scene for the future as Lichmistress introduce us to their particular brand of brutality and depth.

As The Bowels of Darkness open, (see what I did there?), we get a deluge of filth and blasting, at least initially anyway. Brutality and pignoise vocals lead into an extremely satisfying breakdown-style section with some nice guitar squealing going on. I like the bass, and calmer segments also.

It quickly becomes apparent that the band have more talent than simply for bludgeoning the listener; they also show an appreciation for feeling and texture amongst the bone-pounding riffing and carnage. It may only be the first song but already we’ve had plenty of variety, some calm-amidst-the-chaos, melodic segments and a relaxed solo. Nice stuff.

Second song Serrated Blade Procreation fades up into a sexy, bass-heavy grinding riff before getting all kinds of grooves on in ways that would make Decapitated proud. Decapitated being raped by Cryptopsy with Cephalic Carnage standing on the sidelines just watching. Yes.

The quality of the guitars on this should not be underrated. Sliding and technical yet simple and catchy – a great combination.

The production is serviceable but could be better, but as this is a demo that’s to be expected and does not hinder the enjoyment of what are two exceptional tracks.

I can’t help but be extremely impressed with these songs. If they can keep this level of quality for a full album and combine that with a professional sound then their first full-length should be amazing.

Death Metal is alive and hungry.