Musical Ramblings: A death metal double-take for hardcore fans
Hey everyone! This week, I'm going to look at two excellent death metal CDs that I've picked up this year. The reason this is a two-for-one shot is because sometimes it's hard to talk about death metal to a mass audience that doesn't understand it's appeal or the musicianship and talent that actually goes into creating and playing this stuff.
Most people hear the grumbling vocals and say, “nope.” I think most people who play rock or metal should aim to play as precise and as fast as some of these players, because even if you aren't going to write a song as crazy or as death as these bands, you'll always have the techniques…plus good luck finding drummers as good as some death metal drummers (cough…I'm pretty damn good). Here we go!
Through the Eyes of the Dead — Bloodlust
Although this CD came out in 2005, I didn't discover it until last summer. The artwork is killer and the $13 price point made me say, “let's pick this up.”
This disc is not metalcore at all. I think it's a straight, in your face, death metal CD. As with Behemoth's CD, the playing is tight and the drumming is excellent. There are a few things that don't make this disc stand out as much as I would have liked it to.
Firstly, the production seems piss poor. You REALLY have to listen for the vocals. I remember hearing one of the tracks off of this CD early on with some standard vocal levels, but when I bought it and threw it in my player; something just didn't seem the same. With that being said, the vocals suffer and so does the rest of the mix. Things seem a tad muddied and clumped together: a major no-no with this kind of music where everything has to blend.
With different systems, you can really hear specific parts of the CD, but the kind of player you have making a CD even more or less enjoyable doesn't pass. The musicianship and talent is there but the overall structures and individuality of each track is lacking.
For $13 and another good band in your CD collection, I say pick it up but don't expect it to be an “every week or so” spin.
Behemoth — Demigod
If you're a metal fan and you're not enticed to purchase this CD just from the album cover, you're not that metal. From its most excellent cover, the CD is about an hour of Death Metal bliss. Right off the bat, if you're a fan of death metal but need a comparison, I'd say that this band would be really close to giving or tying the mighty Nile for current Death Metal supremacy (oh, and let's not forget Deicide's newest CD).
This band from Poland has been around for about ten years and with their newest release, from start to finish, this CD is relentless. The guitar work, the drumming and the vocals are in attack mode. Nergal's vocals and lyrics all have meaning and it's been a long time since I've sat down with a CD booklet and read the writer's reason for writing the lyrics to a song. Each song has those kinds of notes and it's nice to get lost in the whole “package” of buying a CD and enjoying it for what it is.
While the band's vocals are very distinguishable from other death metal bands and their guitar work/structuring is top notch, this is a band that wouldn't be as good as they are without their drummer. This guy can play some mean drums and it's not just 100 per cent studio work.
The production is top notch and I would have to give this one an four out of 5. I can play it all the way through and not get bored at all. For more information, go to http://www.myspace.com/behemothofficial. You can get videos and song samples there.
Most people hear the grumbling vocals and say, “nope.” I think most people who play rock or metal should aim to play as precise and as fast as some of these players, because even if you aren't going to write a song as crazy or as death as these bands, you'll always have the techniques…plus good luck finding drummers as good as some death metal drummers (cough…I'm pretty damn good). Here we go!
Through the Eyes of the Dead — Bloodlust
Although this CD came out in 2005, I didn't discover it until last summer. The artwork is killer and the $13 price point made me say, “let's pick this up.”
This disc is not metalcore at all. I think it's a straight, in your face, death metal CD. As with Behemoth's CD, the playing is tight and the drumming is excellent. There are a few things that don't make this disc stand out as much as I would have liked it to.
Firstly, the production seems piss poor. You REALLY have to listen for the vocals. I remember hearing one of the tracks off of this CD early on with some standard vocal levels, but when I bought it and threw it in my player; something just didn't seem the same. With that being said, the vocals suffer and so does the rest of the mix. Things seem a tad muddied and clumped together: a major no-no with this kind of music where everything has to blend.
With different systems, you can really hear specific parts of the CD, but the kind of player you have making a CD even more or less enjoyable doesn't pass. The musicianship and talent is there but the overall structures and individuality of each track is lacking.
For $13 and another good band in your CD collection, I say pick it up but don't expect it to be an “every week or so” spin.
Behemoth — Demigod
If you're a metal fan and you're not enticed to purchase this CD just from the album cover, you're not that metal. From its most excellent cover, the CD is about an hour of Death Metal bliss. Right off the bat, if you're a fan of death metal but need a comparison, I'd say that this band would be really close to giving or tying the mighty Nile for current Death Metal supremacy (oh, and let's not forget Deicide's newest CD).
This band from Poland has been around for about ten years and with their newest release, from start to finish, this CD is relentless. The guitar work, the drumming and the vocals are in attack mode. Nergal's vocals and lyrics all have meaning and it's been a long time since I've sat down with a CD booklet and read the writer's reason for writing the lyrics to a song. Each song has those kinds of notes and it's nice to get lost in the whole “package” of buying a CD and enjoying it for what it is.
While the band's vocals are very distinguishable from other death metal bands and their guitar work/structuring is top notch, this is a band that wouldn't be as good as they are without their drummer. This guy can play some mean drums and it's not just 100 per cent studio work.
The production is top notch and I would have to give this one an four out of 5. I can play it all the way through and not get bored at all. For more information, go to http://www.myspace.com/behemothofficial. You can get videos and song samples there.
