first review from XiweinX
Acephalous divine purity
After the release of the demo (star of death) and a handful of gigs, the guys in Acephalous thought it would be wise to retreat and concentrate on writing new material that would be good enough to appear on a full-length effort.
Now, a few years later, its here. And fans of blistering extreme metal should check it out.
I am always pleased to hear that bands like to do things themselves. As is the case with Acephalous. The stuff you hear here, is self-written, recorded and produced. And they did a very good job at that. Of course, do not expect a superclean, polished and pounding (big budget) production but a distinctive sound that captures each riff and detail in its purpose.
Drums are done with a sequencer, but again, well done.
The people who dont want to know which important bands have influenced the songs on this album can skip the following part.
If my well-trained ear is right, the dudes in Acephalous have blended Dissection with Death and constructed songs with Monstrosity and At The Gates (era burning darkness) as building-parts. If you like, then taste!
Intense listening, preferably with headphones, is advised. All songs consist of multi-layered compositions that need your attention. There are little few moments when both guitars are actually playing the same riff, what makes for an interesting and adventerous ride. This isnt pop music, you know.
The fact that i know the guys in this band doesnt hold me back to point out some weaker points. For instance, the lead parts on this album are somewhat dull and too stretched and mostly uninspired. If they make the lead parts as adventerous as the songs themselves, this could be a really, really good album.
Also, some of the vocal work is too light, in my opinion. But thats something the band gets right in a live setting. I know that cause ive seen em already.
But let me be clear: this is a really good album.
My favourite song here must be into the abyss, an instrumental piece where the qualities of this threesome come forward very clearly.
The album is coming out on Rotten To The Core (label and distro), a fine Belgian label with a heart for fine underground bands.
www.myspace.com/666acephalous
second review by Mark Youd from BORNINBLOOD
ACEPHALOUS Divine Purity [Rotten to the Core Distribution 2007]
For fans of Dissection, Morbid Angel, Dying Fetus, The Berzerker.
Not for fans of Peace and quiet.
Acephalous, a three-piece hailing from Belgium, describe themselves as a mix of brutal & melodic death metal with some black metal thrown in for good measure. That description isn't far wrong, they have made a good job of fusing all the different sounds together into one ugly abhorration that demands attention. Almost exclusively fast paced, this album doesn't make good lazy Sunday afternoon listening, it's a violent car crash of a record that leaves you feeling totally skullfucked.
Musically it's chaotic, but the odd riff or guitar frill here and there makes it surprisingly catchy. The vocals, regularly switching between deep, gutteral growls to throat slicing screams, are very high up in the mix and can be distracting at times - There is nothing original or worth reading in the lyrics, which makes me wish that Kenneth Keysers would keep his mouth shut more often and let his music do the work... and boy, does it work! Take a listen to the instrumental track "Into the Abyss" to hear what I mean That song alone is worth the price of the CD (It includes the best use of the PAN dial I've heard in a long time.)
No doubt, Kenneth and Tom can write some great stuff together, hopefully they can replace the drum sequencer one day, but it must be a challenge to find a human that can keep up the pace!
Not just another one spin wonder, this album deserves to gain them some major label attention, I can see them fitting into the Relapse roster perfectly. Good luck guys.
Mark Youd
Acephalous divine purity
After the release of the demo (star of death) and a handful of gigs, the guys in Acephalous thought it would be wise to retreat and concentrate on writing new material that would be good enough to appear on a full-length effort.
Now, a few years later, its here. And fans of blistering extreme metal should check it out.
I am always pleased to hear that bands like to do things themselves. As is the case with Acephalous. The stuff you hear here, is self-written, recorded and produced. And they did a very good job at that. Of course, do not expect a superclean, polished and pounding (big budget) production but a distinctive sound that captures each riff and detail in its purpose.
Drums are done with a sequencer, but again, well done.
The people who dont want to know which important bands have influenced the songs on this album can skip the following part.
If my well-trained ear is right, the dudes in Acephalous have blended Dissection with Death and constructed songs with Monstrosity and At The Gates (era burning darkness) as building-parts. If you like, then taste!
Intense listening, preferably with headphones, is advised. All songs consist of multi-layered compositions that need your attention. There are little few moments when both guitars are actually playing the same riff, what makes for an interesting and adventerous ride. This isnt pop music, you know.
The fact that i know the guys in this band doesnt hold me back to point out some weaker points. For instance, the lead parts on this album are somewhat dull and too stretched and mostly uninspired. If they make the lead parts as adventerous as the songs themselves, this could be a really, really good album.
Also, some of the vocal work is too light, in my opinion. But thats something the band gets right in a live setting. I know that cause ive seen em already.
But let me be clear: this is a really good album.
My favourite song here must be into the abyss, an instrumental piece where the qualities of this threesome come forward very clearly.
The album is coming out on Rotten To The Core (label and distro), a fine Belgian label with a heart for fine underground bands.
www.myspace.com/666acephalous
second review by Mark Youd from BORNINBLOOD
ACEPHALOUS Divine Purity [Rotten to the Core Distribution 2007]
For fans of Dissection, Morbid Angel, Dying Fetus, The Berzerker.
Not for fans of Peace and quiet.
Acephalous, a three-piece hailing from Belgium, describe themselves as a mix of brutal & melodic death metal with some black metal thrown in for good measure. That description isn't far wrong, they have made a good job of fusing all the different sounds together into one ugly abhorration that demands attention. Almost exclusively fast paced, this album doesn't make good lazy Sunday afternoon listening, it's a violent car crash of a record that leaves you feeling totally skullfucked.
Musically it's chaotic, but the odd riff or guitar frill here and there makes it surprisingly catchy. The vocals, regularly switching between deep, gutteral growls to throat slicing screams, are very high up in the mix and can be distracting at times - There is nothing original or worth reading in the lyrics, which makes me wish that Kenneth Keysers would keep his mouth shut more often and let his music do the work... and boy, does it work! Take a listen to the instrumental track "Into the Abyss" to hear what I mean That song alone is worth the price of the CD (It includes the best use of the PAN dial I've heard in a long time.)
No doubt, Kenneth and Tom can write some great stuff together, hopefully they can replace the drum sequencer one day, but it must be a challenge to find a human that can keep up the pace!
Not just another one spin wonder, this album deserves to gain them some major label attention, I can see them fitting into the Relapse roster perfectly. Good luck guys.
Mark Youd
