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REVIEWS:
I was
originally only going to check this out because it has a
cover of Pyaemia's "Sugar Spiced Anus" which, let's face
it, is both an awesome song title AND an awesome song (by
an overlooked band). When I finally ended up listening to
this, I was hugely impressed. Big, thick production complementing
the fast and slow switch-ups and meaty slam riffs pounding
your brain into submission. A great up-front but not overpowering
drum performance also drives this record forward, with accurate
and tasteful use of cymbals and oddly heavy tom fills. Catchy
mini-breakdowns occur such as in the second song "Inexorable
Defilement" and showcase the band's adaptability to a variety
of nice styles. The band claims to work in a hybrid TXDM/Japanese
style, and I can totally hear it...combining influences
that are obvious like Disconformity and Ingurgitate with
some more obscure ones such as the Japanese Glossectomy
and even Abuse (blast from the fucking past!), I could tell
I was in for an album of guys who KNOW what they want to
do, doing it, and doing it better than a ton of posers.
So, basically, what I ended up with was a slam album I could
enjoy due to a great cover, and, goddamnit, a slam album
I could enjoy ANY TIME! At just under a half-hour, the band
churns out a group of ten memorable and sick songs without
relenting one bit. The cover nails the first riff really
well, also, and that is definitely a GOOD thing, considering
it is one of the best riffs Pyaemia ever wrote (if not THE
best riff, or even THE riff to end all riffs, rendering
the rest obsolete). This band picks up the BPM on the song
a tiny, tiny bit, ever so slightly changing it with a better
vocal production. Only drawback is that the drumming is
a little louder than I'd like it to be in this case. However,
on every other song it is great sounding and well-played.
Also, maybe I'm the only one, but I love it when a band
teases you with a super fucking good riff or breakdown and
then destroys it in a weird rush of time changes or something,
only to COME BACK with it...what am I getting at? The very
beginning of one of the highlights here, "Murdered By Decree",
which begins with a nice little vocal and drum part before
going into a really catchy groove, which gets promptly stomped
on by a drum fill, and re-enters the arena BETTER than it
sounded before. So good. Subtle things like that make albums
for me. Or break 'em. But this was meant to be killing people
to, NOT broken. A band to watch out for...with a debut like
this, who needs sophomore albums?!
Slam-Minded.blogspot.com
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