|
|
More of the same, but that's far from a bad thing here.-
|
| Excruciator: Devouring |
Thrash Metal
Heavy Artillery Records
August 2nd, 2011
- Devouring the Flesh of My Master - 3:10
- Skulls of the Abyss - 3:52
- Disciples of Menace - 3:59
- Hunter Killer - 5:41
- Destruction - 1:52
- Eviscerator - 4:25
- Wretched - 4:23
- Nuclear Exmortis - 3:55
- Metal Forces - 4:59
|
| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 36:12
Review posted on July 30th, 2011
- |
|
| | Overall Score: 8/10 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| - |
| Review |
After a successful launching of Excruciator by Heavy Artillery Records with the band's debut EP, By the Gates of Flesh, we find the band on the heels of that effort with their first full-length recording, Devouring. The Thrash band from Portland, Oregon, wasted no time to get this effort to the masses, being issued in the time span of less then a year from that EP. But, the time is right, and since that EP was only a few songs, it makes sense the band might have additional material in the wings for Devouring, or even had started writing this one before By the Gates of Flesh even hit. Given the label's reputation to putting out some of the best old-school sounding Metal that's as true to it's roots as it can be, and the critical success of the debut EP, one can't help but sit back and wonder if Devouring will blow that introductory effort out of the water, or if we're in for more of the same, a though that doesn't really sound too bad given what the fans of Excruciator and Thrash Metal in general were teased with a little less then a year ago.
Excruciator start off Devouring with an audio sample to the album's title track, clearly lifted from a film with additional screams and creature effects that sound added later on, perhaps in the studio. This establishes the idea of the song, though it doesn't do much for the atmosphere of the release. However, once the song starts after this brief introduction, we're given solid old-school Thrash Metal with a great aggression and suiting audio quality. The recording doesn't come off as too clear, being a little muddier then normal, which is well and good though feels like it holds the guitars back a bit from having a nice edge to them. The audio is also rather loud, which works with the more analog sound that the not-so-clean production gives it, but with the guitar solos it can bring in a good deal of white noise to them that is hard to ignore. The bass is pretty strong and stands out in the mix, though you can't really feel it's presence despite how audible it is in the mix, and the drums sounds pretty strong with bass kicks you can feel and everything leveled properly with a decent thud to the kicks as well. The vocals, of course, have that early Thrash rhasp to them and a decent echo effect utilized. In a sense, Devouring is shown to be a more modern album, but takes a bit of an eighties quality to the audio to establish an atmosphere, and with "Devouring" it's set up nicely, and for the most part works for the album.
Musically, Devouring has a bit of a sinister, menacing vibe to it in the same sense of early Thrash acts like Slayer and Kreator. This is obvious just in the titles alone, such as "Discipled of Menace", but when you take it away from a literal text interpretation, the music is often felt this way, but some tracks feel more aggressive then others, and even energetic. While "Devouring" does a good job at welcoming the listener to the old-school Thrash aggression with a good deal of energy behind it, "Disciples of Menace" does retain that slightly sinister vibe, though is meant to be more of a catchy track then one of anger and speed, moving more at a mid-tempo pace and trying to be a commanding track with intimidation, but not really working out towards the atmosphere. It's a decent song, and in no way comes off as filler, but does come off a bit too toned down. The song "Eviscerator", however, sounds exactly like what the band was trying to pull off, but manages to have a little more complexity in the mix and have that sinister aggression to it that "Disciples of Menace" is clearly lacking.
While the music is clearly meant to have a strong aggressive vibe, not all songs really have it to the point you expect that atmosphere to be at. While "Devouring" and "Skulls of the Abyss" are both solid tracks that hammer away at the listener, "Destruction" is the song that will catch the attention of the listener. The song is less then two minutes, which is sad considering the energy and ruthless fury the band brings into this track. The atmosphere to this feels rich and as if soaked in blood, best suiting the overall darker environment to the album. There's really no other track after this that compares, and before it only "Devouring" really comes close. Aside that, the vocals on "Hunter Killer" are good, but show that the less energetic tracks can often have a less enthusiastic performance, and there are times you really wish some more emphasis was made on certain parts of the songs. But these become the only real issues to the album as the rest of the material, despite what speed or atmosphere it's given, are still solid tracks. "Hunter Killer" still has a strong presence with a faster pace, and "Wretched" does capture a more commanding performance with it's slower pace and overall richer sound. All of this is rounded out with "Metal Forces", which is a solid track but actually comes off more as a Heavy Metal song then Thrash with a galloping pace and overall sound that may remind some fans of that style of something by Alestorm, but with a stronger Excruciator sound to it.
Devouring is far from a bad album, and while the music sometimes doesn't quite have a strong enough atmosphere as other tracks do, there's no way you can walk away saying this album is a bad experience. Aside a few songs, much of the album has varying levels of intensity and even approaches to the music the band plays, finding a decent amount of faster tracks with a more aggressive sound, and some toned down songs that are catchier and can sometimes be a little simpler in design. The songs are all solid and tight though, and the vocals are well done, though sometimes you would want a little more energy from them as well, like through some of "Hunter Killer", but for the most part they are spot on and show some great variety, especially during the more energetic tracks. Basically, Devouring is more of the same from the band's Beyond the Gates of Flesh EP, and as stated, that's not a bad thing. If you like Thrash and are into the heavier, more intense acts from back in the day, this is well worth looking into, as it does have enough solid and engaging material to cause it to be lodged in your player for quite some time after that initial spin through.
|
| - |
|
Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Heavy Artillery Records.
| Submit to Social Networks |
|
|
|
|
