Disfuneral : "In Horror, Reborn"

 

Here is the sophomore effort by this French band, which pays homage to European death metal of the 90s on the album. The burly gallop they lock into on the opening track is coupled with a commanding growl unlike early Entombed before they slowly developed the dense guitar sound that so many bands emulated. The riffs are more nuanced than the burly grooves of Entombed. The second finds them pouring on the speed, which is not as interesting as the more nuanced approach of the first song. "Ripped From Within" is more deliberate than the previous song, they use a more punk rock momentum.. The punches of the song, help reign in the momentum to set them up to slow down in a darker doomier passage. The vocals feel more like an afterthought on this song, yet this Venom-like charge of the drums helps propel them. 

Things gain a head-banging groove with more purpose on "Crypt of Demented"  The vocals sit back in the mix, telling me they are far from the focus of their songwriting and more of a repugnant texture. At least I know how to set my expectations for the rest of the album. Before pressing play I read about the Lovecraftian feel of the band and I am not hearing that. You cannot understand the lyrics so they are a mute point. and I do not think an album cover warrants placing a label upon a band, it is the music that does the talking for them. "Extremity In Morbity" finds them locking into a more trashing speed. The drumming is more nuanced than the guitar playing which continues to show a punk influence. 

While the songs do not all sound the same, the scope they cover midway through the album is very specific. I like punk and death metal, but I am not sure I need the two to mix in something that is not hardcore. Their punk side has too many rock-and-roll vibes for this to be the case. Darkside Ritual, with its doomy stomp, is darker and more metal. They pour more speed in the thrashy "Blessed By Decay".  The title track is powered by a few cool riffs, though it is more dominated by typical metal tropes. To the band's credit, they are very succinct in their songwriting and never drone. So even when they just blast off and take their instruments racing on the last song,  they are smart enough to allow things to drop down to the more deliberate bass line. I will give this an 8, they are good at what they do and will appeal to fans who like gritty Swedish death metal that comes from France. Being brought to you by the fine folk at Redefining Darkness.