Death is June -Witches : 'the Fates"

 Death metal has a thrash past. If you listen to earlier Morbid Angel and Deicide you can hear it clearly. This band from France's claim to fame is they are the first band from that country to have a female singer who uses guttural vocals . They are a mid range snarl that is not as powerful as Angels from Arch Enemy who beat them to the punch 20 years ago. Most of this album races by so it is not until they slow down for "Black From Sorrow" that I am eager to play attnetion. There is some black metal influence here, but I would not say that makes this album blackened death thrash.It is the riffs to songs like "Feared and Adored" that place them solidly in the death metal campe. I can hear some early Morbid Angel influence, but far from being a tribute act.

That does tnot mean they are wildly original. "Black From Sorrow" is so far the only song where I hear who they are. The rest of the time it is regurgitated death metal tropes. They are capable musicians with most of the weight resting on the guitars. Not an abundence of shredding. Tightly coiled rhythm playing is the dominate force.  The drums sound a little thin and they fall into the Slayer trap where the bass can only be heard when they slow down. By the time we get to "Let the Stones Fall" every thing has begun to together so it is up to the more At the Gates like guitar melodies to keep things swtiched up and only marginally at that.

"Last Wishes" has a chorus that reminds me of Daath. Fans of their style of death metah, guess I feel werird writing our style as I try to  seperate any music I am affliated with from this log for the sake of objectivity. She goes into a lower growl o n "Death in the Middle Ages". I will round this down to an 8. They are tight as balls and good at what they do. If you like thrash era death metal not unlike Nocturnus then this is worth your time.