Apoch's Metal Review - Supreme Pain: Divine Incarnation CD Review

Discography	Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed.
Full-Length(s):	Cadaver Pleasures (2008) • Nemesis Enforcer (2009) • Divine Incarnation (2011)
Demo(s):	Lifeless Skin and Bones (2007)

Review

Back in 2006, Erwin Harreman and Aad Kloosterwaard of Sinister, as well as Robot Kovacic came together to form the band Supreme Pain, a more brutal modern sounding Death Metal act that tries to also cater to the old-school roots of it's members and the style. As time went on, the group issued two full-length recordings and went through a few line-up changes on drums, and one bassist. This left the group to find Alesa Sare of former Root 'a Balluta fame and Bas Brussaard of Fondlecorpse to come in for the line-up of the band's 2011 effort, Divine Incarnation. Of course, this comes out during the bedlam of Aad becoming the only member of Sinister after everyone quit, but there doesn't seem to be any impact on this release from it. But does this effort have what it takes to cast a shadow over that group and take Supreme Pain out of the underground?

As stated, Supreme Pain is intended to be a far more brutal and modern sounding group, and that's exactly what the listener should expect. The audio to Divine Incarnation holds a modern clarity in the production that cements the concept. The drumming here comes through nice with cymbols that aren't too loud but still clash well enough to be heard in the mix against hollow, wooden sounding snares that stick out well without falling into the poor "as a sore thumb" reference area, and the bass kicks have enough of a click to them that they mesh in well with those snares but mostly during slower passages. When the music is faster, they shine through a little more and really work better with that intense, burdening sound the group brings with them. On top of that you get the sharper guitar distortion effect instead of a heavier blunt sound common to Death Metal, coming off like something you could compare to Swedish Death Metal acts or even the atmospheres common to some Black Metal groups like Emperor, which you can easily pick up on in the song "The Fallen Kingdom." The bass guitar comes through nicely as a supporting instrument to the guitars, and does help to give the mix itself a darker, heavier feel that compliments the deeper guttural performance that just metaphorically screams the Death Metal style of both old and new.

Of course you wouldn't pick up on that far more intense sound right away on the release. "Dawn of a New Area" marks a decent, slow paced instrumental introduction that clearly is aimed at making a hopeless atmosphere out of it, but doesn't really accomplish this outside of showing off a pretty impressive guitar solo through the near minute and a half lifespan of the song. This leads into "The Dark Army" which shows off that faster pace and rather brutalizing sound well. The solid performance is strong from the band, utilizing plenty of hard hitting blast beats with guitar work that is distinctive throughout the track to weave a more intense Death Metal experience that has spots of somewhat melodic melancholy that matches the furious material. The only drawback is that this, and even other songs on here, as few as they are, don't quite have the kind of musical impact that makes headbanging involuntary and mandatory. This doesn't mean the songs are bad by any stretch of the mind, though songs that have that kind of appeal are definitely far more entertaining here and feel a little more complex in general against those composed of just constant blast beats from start to finish.

But, as quickly as the blast beat heavy "The Dark Army" pounds away at the listener, the group's more complex material comes through to grab the listener by the throat. "Treasonous Disease" isn't the first, but the more complex material here that blends some of that more melodic material and groove heavy chugging with other similar riffs to the forefront with catchy drum patterns throughout amidst the barrage of blasting sounds from the kit and furious guitar work that sets up a headbang worthy track of nightmarish cacophany. "Trapped in Heresy" also makes for a fantastic assault that, while more driven by blast beats then "Damned Creation" was, brings with it a little more energy and a generally commanding performance from the vocals with stronger periods of old-school Death Metal thrown in that compliment the more excessive fury from the furious paces and machine gun drumming perfectly to create a brutal and often bleak, as well as hopeless song that pounds away at the listener with full force, refusing to stop.

But, while those two really stand out on the release, they don't quite really have enough material to make the headbanging last for a long while. "Spiritual Sickness" really finds the band utilizing a more old-school sound in the guitars with plenty of time with the drumming taking a break from constant blasting to really make the catchier material more prominant in the mix, and that makes for a well deserved break in the material. The song is immediately headbang worthy and at times makes it mandatory as the chugging guitars work nicely against furious drums that swap out to catching patterns that create a more commanding sound to the material to make a simply brutalizing experience. The same goes with the title track, "Divine Incarnation" which immedately hooks you with catchier yet brutal sounding riffs to make your head bang along right int the blast beats that will take your head clean off with it's punishing guitar work and pounding blast blasting beats that leave you begging for more. Of course the band happily obliges with more blast beat and old-school grooves through the rest of the album, especially with "The Fallen Kingdom." As already pointed out, this song has more of an early Melodic Black Metal style atmosphere at times that gives off a melancholic vibe sans keyboards with a rather sleek audio through it's atmospheric chords found throughout the track, and when those environment-setting chords and drums are not at play, the commanding music hammers away at the listener demanding you to start a mosh pit where you stand, or at the very least bang your head obediently throughout the punishing chords that will make any fan of Death Metal smile like a teenage boy who just saw his first pair of breasts in real life. Unforunatey this song does take away from "Towards Hell." This is a solid track nonetheless, but it feels a little more along the lines of a standard modern Death Metal offering like "The Dark Army" instead of something pulse pounding or impact making as "The Fallen Kingdom," but this song does have one of the most intense guitar solos you can find on the album despite how short it is.

Divine Incarnation has it's rough patches where the blast beats can feel a bit too dominating in the structuring, but overall it makes for a gripping, brutalizing album from start to finish. Sure, the release has a few tracks that feel a bit too standard when it comes to modern Death Metal, but there's no denying the overall aggression, brutality, and energy that is found on a majority of the tracks here. If you're looking for some solid Metal that blends the definition of the old and new sounds of the styles and both accentuates and defines what Death Metal means, then prepare to sit down and worship the intensity that is Divine Incarnation as Supreme Pain do not let their listeners down on this uncompromising release.

Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Massacre Records.

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