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 A needed step in the right direction for Brutal Death Metal bands.- |
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When it comes to Brutal Death Metal bands, one band name that is typically passed up, mostly due to many not knowing who they are, is the act Ulcerate. The band has issued two full-lengths and a compilation collecting both of their demos. Originally formed back in 2000 and hailing from New Zealand, this is a group that hasn't quite received the recognition they deserved, especially given the more experimental state that their last album, Everything is Fire, had produced. With that, the band unleashes a quite unique sounding Death Metal offering in the Brutal vein they've done in the past, but clearly take a much different road for the style. The Destroyers of All may only be seven tracks long, but it actually clocks in at just under fifty three minutes. The music on this release finds the Brutal Death Metal group experimenting greatly with atmosphere and longer track lengths through technical Progressive ideas. Given the legion of bands out there trying to emulate Origin in the sense of big name over-the-top technical Brutal Death Metal, this quickly becomes a welcome shift from the band. The atmosphere of the music on the recording is very dark and melancholic, utilizing guitars that are sometimes technical, but have chords performed that are more aimed at creating a somber atmosphere to the songs, as if the music were a physical entity trapped in water, which is the best way to describe the songs on here. Each track seems like it was originally designed to be played fast, but don't seem like the band intentionally made the songs slower, but rather come off as if the songs are physically incapable of being played faster, as if some sort of slow paced dream sequence, hallucination, or as stated: Being trapped in water. It's this physical sense to the songs that make this album stand out so well and become so unique. Because of that natural feeling, the slower paced music seems more organic and interesting. Yes, there are some moments on the recording that seem to break the natural slower pace of the album, such as with "Cold Becoming" where there are blast beats included that seem to go at a much faster pace that break the organic slower pace established. At first it takes away a bit from the recording, showing that this track can reach much faster lengths, becoming something the listener will have to get adjusted to, but in the end it does wind up working with the music and often just seems to blend back in with the slower paced atmospheric music, especially at the end of that same track where the drums hammer away but the guitars manage to retain the floating slower pace that was introduced at the start while the song rings out to a suiting Ambient end through echoing guitars that bleed into the start of "Beneath". If it weren't for the ambience that the music sets, some of these tracks would ultimately just sound hollow and pointless. Instead, it manages to really make some of the songs stand out in ways many bands of the Brutal Death style probably wouldn't be able to get. This Progressive form of playing sounds great on many levels, but it can have it's faults. "The Hollow Idols" is one of them. The song isn't necessarily that bad, but it just feels like the band extended it to be much longer then it should have been. The chords on this track become extremely repetitive, and ultimately just make the track come off boring, even though that same atmosphere exists on the song that has helped the four tracks before it. The Destroyers of All will really just come down to an issue of personal taste. While this release is phenomenal for it's naturally restrained feel through atmospheric music that actually works, not everyone is going to warmly embrace this concept. The material here often sacrifices the Brutal aspect of the band's sound to achieve that atmosphere, but there's still enough that it can hold onto the title and still come off sounding rather brutal on many tracks through a naturally slow performance that is often interrupted by not-all-the-time seemlessly blended blast beats. Some tracks on here may not shine thorugh to most listeners as others, such as "The Hollow Idols" which finds itself plagued with repetitive music, and even the closing title track "The Destroyers of All" can feel a little repetitive in it's over ten minute track length. But, no matter how you look at it, this release is definitely a step in the right direction for the style in general, taking things back a bit from the chaotic and often over-the-top Technical Brutal Death Metal that is flooding the style's market. It's a fresh take on an old premise, and it well worth taking the time to check it out. |
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Digital review copy of this release provided by: Willowtip Records.
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