Deitus : " Irreversible"

 Aside from the black metal surprise of the new Hexvessel, I have not reviewed a ton of black metal recently since I was preoccupied in June covering death metal. While it is one of my favorite sub genre's of metal, in some ways it was good to take a break since the majority of black metal bands these days all sound the same. Black Metal History month here was back in February and I made a concerted effort to not cover bands that just play it safe and stick to the status quo in this regard. I am not sure why band's like that are still getting signed to substantial record labels without more to offer as I can not imagine it is something that is really selling a great deal these days as cross over hard core and metal core seem to be the dominant genres sales wise.  Yet here we are with Candlelight Records dropping the third album by this British band. 

It opens with a three minute instrumental track that is more deliberate than the buzz of blast beats that explodes on "Straight For Your Throat". The title is an apt description for what unfold on the rest of the album. The vocals are a mid range snarl that leans more in the direction of a death growl than scream. Yet nothing makes them sound out that I would say is a signature sound unique to this band. Sure they are decent songwriting when it comes to working within the confines of their chosen genre, but they could stand to push the bounds a little more. There are plenty of guitar solos, so if you are into that I suppose it would be a check mark in the plus column for you. The drummer also has some nuance to his playing. "A Scar For Serenity' blasts off at more of a thrashing pace. It is pretty middle of the road metal as expected.

The title track starts with a steady flow of double bass powering things. The vocals begin to feel more obligatory , and the blast beats hold less menace with little sonic depth to contrast it. Are the tight at what they are doing ? Sure, but being capable musicians should be the bare minimum at this stage of the game. The guitar solo sections are the most interesting part of the song. The album's best moment comes from "Voyuer" that features female vocals for the bulk of the song , when it does climax into the heavier section the growled vocals are more effective. The riffs are slowed down and given a more purposeful chug on "As Long as They Fear", which proves to be more effective at hooking your ears in. The female vocals fade into the background, which still provides a more melodic color to things. The main riffs reminds me a little of Megadeth's "In My Darkest Hour". While the last two songs redeem the album, I will give it an 8, as they could have been working that brand of songwriting magic the entire time.   This comes out July 14th. 

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