This album was actually recommended to me by a guy that runs a small metal distro. He labeled it as old school dm, which is his favorite style of metal. I'm a huge fan of old school death metal, so I took his advice.
Well, first off, I must say that this is not pure old school dm (though many of the elements are there), but it is still a very good slab of death metal. The production is good, the guitar tone is polished and thick, and the overall sound of the music is very clean. Blastbeats are used in moderation, though they are definitely present thoughout the album, making for an aggressive, but not brutal overall sound. There is also a noticeable melodeath influence, but it in no way softens up the music, and if anything makes the music more interesting and varied.
All of the songs are of the same style, though the speed varies greatly. There is a nice melodic intro, where a melody played by (synthesized?) string instruments is taken over by guitars (for some reason this introduction seems like something that wouldn't be out of place on an early At The Gates CD). The first song, The Awakening, which it leads into, begins with a typical dm tremolo riff and blasting, but the tempo does drop, and some melodeath-style riffs are nicely incorporated. It is a good opener, and one of the stronger tracks on the CD. The next track, Dying Wound, is quite similar, mixing fast paced old school (sometimes very thrashy) dm riffs with some more melodic riffing, all of it being very catchy and easy to get into. Other songs on the CD, such as Ground Zero, and Lambs to the Slaughter, are much slower, and focus more on crushing grooves and catchy as hell riffs. Whether playing fast or slow, Deny the Urge pull it off well, and nothing sounds out of place.
Overall, this album is quite an easy listen. Nothing takes more than one or two listens to "click" and many of the riffs are extremely catchy. If you are looking for something completely whacked out (Demilich, Crimson Massacre, latter day Gorguts), this is not what you are looking for. This is quite accessible for a death metal album, but isn't chock full of saccharine melodies like In Flames Style melodeath. I wouldn't call this CD a masterpiece, but it is good for what it is, and should appeal to most death metal fans.
Well, first off, I must say that this is not pure old school dm (though many of the elements are there), but it is still a very good slab of death metal. The production is good, the guitar tone is polished and thick, and the overall sound of the music is very clean. Blastbeats are used in moderation, though they are definitely present thoughout the album, making for an aggressive, but not brutal overall sound. There is also a noticeable melodeath influence, but it in no way softens up the music, and if anything makes the music more interesting and varied.
All of the songs are of the same style, though the speed varies greatly. There is a nice melodic intro, where a melody played by (synthesized?) string instruments is taken over by guitars (for some reason this introduction seems like something that wouldn't be out of place on an early At The Gates CD). The first song, The Awakening, which it leads into, begins with a typical dm tremolo riff and blasting, but the tempo does drop, and some melodeath-style riffs are nicely incorporated. It is a good opener, and one of the stronger tracks on the CD. The next track, Dying Wound, is quite similar, mixing fast paced old school (sometimes very thrashy) dm riffs with some more melodic riffing, all of it being very catchy and easy to get into. Other songs on the CD, such as Ground Zero, and Lambs to the Slaughter, are much slower, and focus more on crushing grooves and catchy as hell riffs. Whether playing fast or slow, Deny the Urge pull it off well, and nothing sounds out of place.
Overall, this album is quite an easy listen. Nothing takes more than one or two listens to "click" and many of the riffs are extremely catchy. If you are looking for something completely whacked out (Demilich, Crimson Massacre, latter day Gorguts), this is not what you are looking for. This is quite accessible for a death metal album, but isn't chock full of saccharine melodies like In Flames Style melodeath. I wouldn't call this CD a masterpiece, but it is good for what it is, and should appeal to most death metal fans.
