Post by thesoundmonitor on Sept 24, 2004 7:02:42 GMT -5
GRAVE
Fiendish Regression
(Century Media)
This is the second disc in as many weeks that I have heard which harks back to the glorious beginnings of death metal. Not in a retro kind of way mind you. For both Unleashed and Grave were there from the beginning. It's actually kind of weird as
this is the first time I've heard Grave. I once almost purchased four of their albums for 10 dollars but was ill advised not to.
I mean, it's not like this is a ground-breaking release or anything, but it is solid. It's everything you want from something of this nature: catchy hooks and straight up groovy death metal.
'Last Journey' opens the album with some clean guitar before bursting out some heavy, slow paced death metal riffage. The band keeps it interesting by adding a few tempo changes here and a solo there. There is no pause between songs and 'Reborn' kicks off. Kerry King (Slayer) once said that they have never written a riff that they haven't used. Well, I beg to differ as the main riff in 'Reborn' sounds like it was lifted straight from the cutting floor of the Seasons in the Abyss sessions, as does the little drum breakdown at around 2:10.
I'm not paying the band out at all, I think it's great. But to say that this band dig Slayer would be an understatement. There are little Slayer homages all over this disc. The guitar solos in the slowed down 'Awakening', or the intro riff in 'Breeder' for example. Finally, the closing track features guitar solos harking back to Haunting the Chapel. But it's not like Grave sound like Slayer, they're just influenced by them.
As with all the bands of this genre, the faster paced tracks are the better ones and the two middle tracks, 'Trial by Fire' and 'Out of the Light' as well as the second last track 'Bloodfeast' contain speedier parts which add a nice variation to an album that - for the most part - keeps itself locked firmly in a slower paced death metal groove.
Production on this album is nice and it has a heavy sound throughout. All instruments are given room to breath and nothing overshadows anything else. The album was recorded in Abyss studios (Hypocrisy, Amon Amarth, Immortal) with studio owners Peter and Tommy Tagtgren, instead of their usual studio which has proved a good move.
There really is little else to say about Graves new album except that it's a solid release chock full of groovy mid paced death metal that won't disappoint fans.
By Paul Irwin
www.intothegrave.com
Fiendish Regression
(Century Media)
This is the second disc in as many weeks that I have heard which harks back to the glorious beginnings of death metal. Not in a retro kind of way mind you. For both Unleashed and Grave were there from the beginning. It's actually kind of weird as
this is the first time I've heard Grave. I once almost purchased four of their albums for 10 dollars but was ill advised not to.
I mean, it's not like this is a ground-breaking release or anything, but it is solid. It's everything you want from something of this nature: catchy hooks and straight up groovy death metal.
'Last Journey' opens the album with some clean guitar before bursting out some heavy, slow paced death metal riffage. The band keeps it interesting by adding a few tempo changes here and a solo there. There is no pause between songs and 'Reborn' kicks off. Kerry King (Slayer) once said that they have never written a riff that they haven't used. Well, I beg to differ as the main riff in 'Reborn' sounds like it was lifted straight from the cutting floor of the Seasons in the Abyss sessions, as does the little drum breakdown at around 2:10.
I'm not paying the band out at all, I think it's great. But to say that this band dig Slayer would be an understatement. There are little Slayer homages all over this disc. The guitar solos in the slowed down 'Awakening', or the intro riff in 'Breeder' for example. Finally, the closing track features guitar solos harking back to Haunting the Chapel. But it's not like Grave sound like Slayer, they're just influenced by them.
As with all the bands of this genre, the faster paced tracks are the better ones and the two middle tracks, 'Trial by Fire' and 'Out of the Light' as well as the second last track 'Bloodfeast' contain speedier parts which add a nice variation to an album that - for the most part - keeps itself locked firmly in a slower paced death metal groove.
Production on this album is nice and it has a heavy sound throughout. All instruments are given room to breath and nothing overshadows anything else. The album was recorded in Abyss studios (Hypocrisy, Amon Amarth, Immortal) with studio owners Peter and Tommy Tagtgren, instead of their usual studio which has proved a good move.
There really is little else to say about Graves new album except that it's a solid release chock full of groovy mid paced death metal that won't disappoint fans.
By Paul Irwin
www.intothegrave.com