Death is June -Castrator - "Coronation of the Grotesque"

The gimmick is an all-female death metal band. Can they play their instruments? Yes. Are the vocals convincing? Yes. Is this original? no. They got the most generic sound down, but in doing so, they are so middle of the road it hurts. This is particularly more painful considering it's done in the style of a hyper-aggressive genre. The album sounds good as all the tones are dialed in to chug the way you would want a metal band to sound, but the mean-spirited nature that should power something like this sounds like they just punched a clock with nothing to give it personality.

But there are plenty of male bands who are just as middle-of-the-road and generic as these gals, so why single them out? Well, they have singled themselves out. I am sure there are lots of dudes who will simp for this band as they are aggressive enough to pass for being legit, the guitar work is decent. Decent is not enough. I need something to hook me in and make me want to listen to this again and again, as that is what makes a great album. Three songs in, and I am bored as hell and having to force my way through the rest of this album, making it something I am having to endure rather than enjoy. It helps that some sections are darker and more deliberate, it is when it speeds into hyper thrashing that it really gets tedious. Thankfully, they are playing so fast that the songs are around the three-minute mark. 

The vocals are a one-trick pony, they tend to fall with purpose, making them more than an afterthought, so this is more than can be said af most death metal bands these days. "Mortem Opeterie" does have a cool moshy riff before the guitar solo, but cool riffs alone does not a good song make it our motto here. The palm-muted gallop that powers "Remnants of Chaos' is decent enough for me and shows enough restraint. This is the band's second album, so they know what they are doing. "Deviant Miscreant' finds them trying to overpower you with blast beats and taunt riffing that is almost mechanical in execution. In terms of songwriting,it is a shame when the most interesting riffs are just there to back up a guitar solo. 

"Psalm of the Beguiled" might be the album's best song. "Discordant Rumination" is a hyper-fast exercise in the redundant excesses the genre can often be found guilty of indulging in. The breakdown riff is pretty cool, but we are past the point of pretty cool riffs being able to save the day. There is a more of a classic thrash feel to the last song. I will round this down to a 7.5, as it's well done for what it is , but from a songwriting perspective pretty bland. 

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