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Sacred Embrance |
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God bless this band...no wait...that is for Stryper. Satan bless this band for producing one of the most enjoyable Death Metal releases in years. In all honesty, this album stacks up against some of the best Death Metal of recent times...including Vital Remains' newest incarnation. This is brutal and technical Death Metal, hailing from Austria, and solid from beginning to end. While the rapid drumming and brutal symphonic platter of screams may grow weary, it won't on the ears of anyone who loves Death Metal. Furthermore, there is enough melody on this album to hook your ears and mind into remembering the tunes long-after. I cannot speak so much of the band's knack for lyrics, as I didn't understand one word...however...I can only imagine they are nice and brutal. With song titles like "The Goatchrist" and "Demonic Staccato Erection", I'm assuming the band isn't singing about lemonade and poppy seeds. This is intense material...
"The Goatchrist" is a fantastic song with phenomenal drumming and some harsh screams. However, like all tracks on this album, what really stands out is the guitar work. Guitars are phenomenal, particularly in the rhythm department, churning out heavy yet very melodic riffs. This is easily the album's selling point as never have I heard such wonderful rhythm work on a Death Metal release...at least not for a long time. Wonderful scales and lead solos abound on nearly every song, but "The Goatchrist" is really a stand out composition. The following track "Diaboli Virtus In Lumbar Est" is equally as melodic with the same rhythm guitar punching through. Songs on the album begin to get shorter towards the end, while the band seems more intent on creating brutality as opposed to a well composed piece. Nonetheless, I really cannot complain anywhere on this album. Each musician is capable, each song listenable and melodic...hell I found this album very listenable. Track eight slows the album down a little, very little...and lets the music breathe a little bit. The band sounds good when they slow things down and lets the punchy rhythm section pound you into submission. Vocalist "Helmuth" is not grating on the nerves, despite not being too understandable. In fact, his vocals sometimes border on Black Metal vocals...so this band, in a sense is Death/Black Metal....not lyrically but vocally. The final track on the album, "Fleischrequiem 69/Outro" is another fantastic composition and equals the opener "Goatchrist" in terms of enjoyment. Power material laced with some acoustic guitar work that adds a sombre feel to the piece. Fun album. If you're interested in Death Metal but are afraid to jump in, this album has lots of melody to engage your ear. Furthermore, the musicianship is stellar so you can always enjoy it in this respect. I have no complaints, a perfect album for what it is...nothing original but does it's job extremely well. 10/10 Sacred Embrace / * Daniel Dees. * |
