Written by Carcassbomb
- Horrific Demise
- Excruciating Extermination
- Brutal Death Metal
- USA
- September 6, 2019
- 8.8/10
I can’t imagine this album not being up to the standards of the modern metalhead. It’s a good length with a distinct sound drawing from both old school and modern influences. It doesn’t use trendy techniques or gimmicks, it just nails down some solid as fuck death metal. It has good presentation and perfect production. Horrific Demise could very quickly become a heavy hitter within the metal scene, especially with such early label support from Comatose Music.
Dat acoustic opening, really strong start. This album opens like a can of beer after a hard days work, or a fart after a night of said drinking. There’s so much calculated brutality in rhythms that just jam with me, like the drums on the opening track being quite subtle and utilising a distinct tone more than drum fills. It feels minimalist, something many metal bands find difficult to restrain themselves with. It feels tight for a debut LP, surely due to the fact that each member has previously had experience in bands.
There’s a lot of dual vocals operating on different levels which keeps the pace very active. Expect blast beats of various kinds to accompany these moments. I do enjoy it when a slower swing comes into it and the vocals must take the time to be precise. There’s also a couple of techniques that I really enjoy but are rare, if anyone remembers some of the more unique vocals from Terminal Redux by Vektor.
The guitar becomes increasingly prominent as well with some really good solos and unexpectedly melodic progressions. There’s a lot to the guitarwork on this album, it feels considered and fleshed out more than bravado and showing off. It can be playful and foreboding in equal measure without ever interfering with the tone or flow of the overall track. There are some plain moments but those are kind of necessary as a way to anchor the audience and show them something interesting and surprising.
The drums sometimes sound like pots and pans which is a sound I enjoy quite a lot when paired with blast beast, it makes it very easy to follow the drumming as a non-drummer. Drums and bass are the strongest part of the sound for me, the background sounds very much like its own beast throughout the lead licks and vocal deliveries. Even during an absolute pube-shredding sweep picking solo there will be a kick ass song going beneath it. There’s a sturdy backbone to the music. Everything else is still very strong, I just appreciate a good rhythm section.
Overall there’s nothing I can really fault the music for, the score is simply a reflection of my preference for the genre at this point. I also have no idea who the artist behind this cover is because I could not find that info through the usual channels. This is a very new release so perhaps that information will come to light in the near future. This is an issue I usually find when all of the music posting online is run by the label, incomplete information on bandcamp. More information means less research for reviewers and thus more likely to have your roster reviewed and unto promotion.
Overall get on this one, it won’t disappoint and could very easily be a new favorite metal album. For fans of Corpseflesh, Disentomb and many other solid releases from this year so far. It’s definitely better than a few albums considered AOTY contenders making the rounds at the moment.
8.8/10
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