Sri Lanka's death metal horde seeks transcendence through brutality. They do create a deep gurgling rumble both vocally and from the low grind of the guitars. The drums and being beat to hell, but could have stood to have been actually mixed. if mic placement was thought of it all it was surely haphazard. When they slow down and chug down into it the rough edges are not a distraction, but when they speed up it sounds like the drums are being kicked down the stairs and blasted with a shotgun. Maybe that is the sound they are going for. I like the so called "occult death metal" sound which is cavernous and boomy, but with some clarity to it , where this is just raw.
After their first song the brutality has been experienced so now I find myself waiting to see if they can actually write songs. Like Cannibal Corpse's dirty crust punk younger brother they pound into another booming blitz. The growls sound like they are being barked out for some purpose, which helps their argument that this is a song. So recording this in a real studio with someone who knows what they are doing might not be the underground cool kids way of doing things, but what they are doing would benefit from it and allow this to reach it's full potential. Not mix the heaviness out, which is a common misconception that has only been further solidified when bands like Morbid Angel went over board in their later years or when Death got proggy after "Spiritual Healing". It sounds like the guitarist are working hard to melt you face , but it's getting lost in the murk.
Three songs in and the pressure is mounting for them to show me a little more in the way of dynamics. You might have noticed I am foregoing song titles because they are very longwinded and sound like thesis statements on paleolithic rituals. They get faster, which is a slight change of dynamics , but like going from deep red to blood red. When the ride is hit my qualms about the production should be realized, if not then go listen "Legion" and get back to me when you understand how brutality and clarity can be mutually beneficial. The beating slow to a sludge filled chug of sorts. This does become the first place any sort of atmosphere occurs is when the song feels like its melting, before speeding back up. The drum also begins to prove himself on this one.
After indulging in a tribal interlude they get back to the brutal business, the intro creates more of a mood and I like the fact these guys use samples. The first hint of melody drips into the creepy chords the guitar opens with. If they can keep this up then they might be onto something. They syncopated pounding works as it's a different musical color to add here without giving up any of their sick gore throttled roar. The chug here can be more clearly heard than any other moment on this album and it works in their favor making this the best song on the album.To this bands credit they do not feel the need to draw these songs out longer than they deserve giving them more song writing smarts than many bands I've heard this year.
Able to get down with three minutes of feral attack they find one of the album's heaviest moments following the albums best song. The big difference between the two is on the album's heaviest song you can not make heads or tails of what's going down. If you like the chug of a train as if rolls over you on the tracks then this might be your favorite song as well, and if it is then go lay down on a train track and check out how this will sound live. After this they are intent not to let up on you for better or worse so don't peel yourself off the train tracks yet. They speed by in a blur that is more of a vibrating rumble with a ride cymbal sticking out of it. They vomit up a few accents , but generally shit the bed on what is effectively the last song as they have an outro after that which is more tribal monkey shines with bongos and such. I'll give it a 5.5 and hope they get to a studio next time.
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