Benighted - Identisick
Adiopocere Records AR 0106 February 15, 2006
By Rodrigo Escandon
Are you one of those people that have been praising the many merits of the new Decapitated or Psycroptic albums? Well, if you think those bands put out amazing albums then Benighted is going to knock your socks off with Identisick! I will even go so far in saying that this is my favorite death metal album since The Sound of Perseverance. For those keeping tabs, that album came out in 1998 so I really mean it when I say that Benighted have released a classic.
Benighted hail from France and their style is a hybrid of both technical and brutal death metal. They are not overly technical like Necrophagist but they dont fit the Cannibal Corpse mold either. Benighted takes the strengths out of each of these two styles of death metal and have crafted music that is pummeling, melodic and challenging. See, this combination gives the music plenty of groove without losing any brutality and it is able to keep you guessing on what will come next. Even the singing is extremely varied as well. Throughout Identisick you will hear high-pitch screams, grindcore-type snarls and low guttural growls. All these different dimensions in music and singing manage to give each song its own uniqueness and each listen to Identisick is fresh and exciting. I keep finding myself playing this album on a daily basis and loving it more each and every time.
Nemesis starts off the album with an amazing display of staccato riffing. The song goes through so many parts but the one constant is that if flows perfectly from beginning to end. Identisick features some crushing riffs and powerful drumming for the first 36 seconds and then it heads into a sick 21 second guitar solo and I even find myself singing along in the end to the chants of the title. Sex-Addicted moves along nicely with plenty of brutality but then out of nowhere at 2:54 the band plays a short acoustic interlude that molds perfectly into the song. Mourning Affliction is a headbangers and moshers dream come true. The song switches from fast and slow tempos to really get you involved with the song. My favorite part is at 2:16 when the bass starts playing by itself and soon the rest of the band jumps in and slowly the speed is built back up. Oh yeah, this song even features a techno beat.
By now, you should be getting the idea of what to expect from Identisick. The rest of the 6 songs that I havent mentioned all share the same qualities but as I mentioned before all the songs stand apart from each other. Finishing up the package of Identisick also is a great cover of Napalm Deaths Suffer the Children. I really cant stress how good Identisick is and I highly recommend to all death metal fans. This album demands your attention.
9/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Benighted Official Website
Adiopocere Records Official Website
Adiopocere Records AR 0106 February 15, 2006
By Rodrigo Escandon
Are you one of those people that have been praising the many merits of the new Decapitated or Psycroptic albums? Well, if you think those bands put out amazing albums then Benighted is going to knock your socks off with Identisick! I will even go so far in saying that this is my favorite death metal album since The Sound of Perseverance. For those keeping tabs, that album came out in 1998 so I really mean it when I say that Benighted have released a classic.
Benighted hail from France and their style is a hybrid of both technical and brutal death metal. They are not overly technical like Necrophagist but they dont fit the Cannibal Corpse mold either. Benighted takes the strengths out of each of these two styles of death metal and have crafted music that is pummeling, melodic and challenging. See, this combination gives the music plenty of groove without losing any brutality and it is able to keep you guessing on what will come next. Even the singing is extremely varied as well. Throughout Identisick you will hear high-pitch screams, grindcore-type snarls and low guttural growls. All these different dimensions in music and singing manage to give each song its own uniqueness and each listen to Identisick is fresh and exciting. I keep finding myself playing this album on a daily basis and loving it more each and every time.
Nemesis starts off the album with an amazing display of staccato riffing. The song goes through so many parts but the one constant is that if flows perfectly from beginning to end. Identisick features some crushing riffs and powerful drumming for the first 36 seconds and then it heads into a sick 21 second guitar solo and I even find myself singing along in the end to the chants of the title. Sex-Addicted moves along nicely with plenty of brutality but then out of nowhere at 2:54 the band plays a short acoustic interlude that molds perfectly into the song. Mourning Affliction is a headbangers and moshers dream come true. The song switches from fast and slow tempos to really get you involved with the song. My favorite part is at 2:16 when the bass starts playing by itself and soon the rest of the band jumps in and slowly the speed is built back up. Oh yeah, this song even features a techno beat.
By now, you should be getting the idea of what to expect from Identisick. The rest of the 6 songs that I havent mentioned all share the same qualities but as I mentioned before all the songs stand apart from each other. Finishing up the package of Identisick also is a great cover of Napalm Deaths Suffer the Children. I really cant stress how good Identisick is and I highly recommend to all death metal fans. This album demands your attention.
9/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Benighted Official Website
Adiopocere Records Official Website
