New Review ZOMBIEFICATION - Midnight Stench CD in Forbidden Magazine...
The air is thick with the smell of death as you squeak open the cemetery gate. The moon is obscured by ominous clouds and the shadows cast play tricks on your eyes. Something moves and you know the end has just begun . . .
With all the music being written by Mr. Jacko, it is evident that a good deal of work was put into Zombiefication’s Midnight Stench. The songs move well between passages and form a very cohesive whole for the listener. A slow-paced intro, The Shining, briefly sets the tone before Cryptic Broadcast comes to pull the flesh from your face with its blasting thrash attack. This track in particular really stood out to me as far as being the most memorable, and I felt that, after this strong opening, the band simply followed in the same suit, showing little diversion from the elements found in Cryptic Broadcast. Don’t get me wrong, fuckers, this album is still heavy as a headstone! Anthem to the Deathmarch makes good use of galloping rhythms, razor-sharp guitar leads, and skull-fracturing breakdowns. The quasi-instrumental, Sleepless Mutter, which begins as slow and tempting as Death itself, with only whispers, unfolds into what may be the strongest track on the album. The vocals overwhelm you with emotion and anguish; unfortunately, this is the only song on the release which lyrics are not printed in the attractive booklet. The song is dedicated to Goat Destroyer (Raped God 666) 1977 – 2009 R.I.P.
As someone who has been an audio engineer, and Pro Tools certified for too many years, I know there is a lot of bullshit that you can do in the studio to have your sound come off sounding better than it really is. Anytime I hear metal with as clean a production as Midnight Stench, I always make sure that what I am hearing is the real deal. Zombiefication have delivered an album of honest performance and skill, which vows to rip apart any naysayers without warning. Other than from a few tracks, I can’t say that I was completely destroyed by Midnight Stench: the songs are heavy and well written, but they don’t bring anything new to the funeral, so to speak. The closing track, The Early Years, completes the album with some favorable destruction . . . perhaps foreshadowing what is to come next, or, perhaps, offering a view into the past.
Zombiefication deliver something for everyone. Don’t be afraid . . . fill your lungs with the Midnight Stench!
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