Somehow when it comes to 90s death metal this band never made it on my radar. They come from a very thrashy old-school style of death metal, with the vocals croaked out in a manner that reminds me more of Max Cavalera. It is delivered in a manner where the lyrics cut through. The drummer pounds the point home in a manner that has conviction. The bass also cuts through the guitars to make it self known. Weirdly, these guys are on Peaceville as that always makes me think of darker more doom-influenced styles of European death metal and these guys are very American as the 80s thrash influence is prominent.
By the time we get to "Painful Conflict," it is blast beating itself past the point of groove and the vocals feel more obligatory, which to my ears means they are going more for a sound and less for songs. It is odd coming from veterans like this but the temptation might be to prove that they still go it. They certainly do not shy from the speed, so if that is your thing you might dig this more than me, since I prefer hooks no matter how heavy or fast you are playing. Metallica and Morbid Angel are capable of it, and so should anyone else who is playing an instrument professionally.
"Unforeseen Obstacles" opens with a riff that has promise and then the uncontrolled aggression takes over. the bulldoze you in a manner more like Deicide. though what Glen Benton has going for him is a persona that carries more charisma. Still, they are punchy, which I appreciate, but if this was something I was going to listen to not sure this approach is the one I would gravitate toward. Also, the cool riff to this song highlights the fact that cool riffs alone do not a good song make. The guitar solos have some melodic sensibility to them rather than just chaotic shredding. There is an almost Morbid Angel-like groove to "Perfect Prey" which makes this one of the album's best songs.
They play perhaps at their fastest yet on "Soul Piercing Sorrow", which lyrically seems like it is a sentiment that should be approached from a slower tempo. They do get a little more deliberate, with a steady stream of double bass moving it when the vocals come in There is a touch more melody in some of the riffs to "Into Temptation' but they largely pound things out with a menacing gallop. These guys have been at it for decades, so I expect a little more in the songwriting department here. This heavy approach busts out some decent riffs , but not a great deal better than what you might hear from the best local death metal band playing on a Friday night in your hometown.
There are a few touches of production here and there that stand out, and they are capable with their instruments. Not sure that "Oblivion" is going to change anything for me, as it is more of the same, though slowed down enough for the vocals to matter more. The last song opens with a strummed clean guitar tone, that is not really built upon though the main riff has more purpose. When I pay closer attention to the lyrics it just seems like the most stereotypical metal muttering you can imagine. But hey some people like vanilla death metal and are prolly really into these guys. I will give this a 7, as they are good at what they do, what they do is not my thing, but the score reflects what fans of this might like.I can not imagine this being on anyone's top album of 2024 year list.
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