Death is June : Warshipper : "Essential Morphine"

 

If there is a genre that Brazil delivers on it's death metal. This sounds more like Slipknot in some ways than it does Sepultura. It is loaded with groove, which I am here for. The low growled vocals are punchy and purposeful rather than an afterthought. There is a thrashy hook to their riffing. It is not trying to replicate the past but charge forward into their own future. By the second song it is clear this album is well produced, the vocals sound like the inner dialogue of a serial killer rather than the over aggression they opened with. To their credit it does not sound like the opening track, but trudges along in a dark murky morass of brooding with less direction. You do here them experiment more and add things like saxophone. The bass player also goes off on a tangent. 

"Night of the Unholy Archangel" finds them laying the rapid double bass on thick. In some ways it reminds me of Bolt Thrower. The guitar is not as hooky as Bolt Thrower. They rage ahead in a pretty straight forward manner. Their guitar solos are on point if that is the sort of thing you are into. The experimentation is spread out over the course of the album. The classic metal gallop that drives "Perfect Pattern Watcher" is not the band reinventing the wheel even with the darker passages that emerge. What I appreciate about these guys are their efforts to convey darkness. Not in a blackened manner either. For a death metal band to have a song about "Morphine" it requires dialing back the distortion and simmering in the feeling which is what happens here. The vocals are more sung. The song itself goes off into a proggy strumming. They do drop the heavy in time and in a manner this album has not yet shown. 

They get more groove, but in doing so conform more closely to mainstream death metal expectations on "the Twin of Icon". The taunt gallops are almost more Amon Amarth in their attack. While epic and powerful in the meaty chugs delivered on "Magnificent Insignificance" it is not the most original thing I have ever heard, but they are effective in their creation of it. The milk it to the best of their ability. The bonus track "Guilt Trip" is sung and more grunge rock, so they kind of tacked it on rather than making it a part of the actual album.  I will give these guys a 9, and see how it sits with me or if I am inspired to return for repeat listens they are a band you should keep your eye on.