Dismember - The God That Never Was
Regain Records - RR083 - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Stockholm stalwarts Dismember have returned once more, and after proving with Where Ironcrosses Grow that there's life in the old dog yet, they seem intent on bulldozering the competition with their latest record, The God That Never Was. Thankfully (since we wouldn't have it any other way), it sounds exactly how you would expect a 2006 Dismember album to sound - that guitar tone is front and centre, growling and roaring like a rampaging demon. Meanwhile, the recent increased melodicism in the guys' songwriting finds shape in the form of some nifty soloing and catchy dual-guitar harmonies.
Oh, and by the way, 'increased melodicism' doesn't mean 'wimping out' - listen to album highlight 'Time Heals Nothing' as it roars out of the starting gates with a thundering low-end and a murderous pace, guitars carving a bloody path through the whirlwind drumming, before settling into a deliberately hostile groove while Matti Karki's primal howling dominates, before slowing even further into a near doom-dirge pace. Listen to instrumental 'Phantoms (Of The Oath)', as textbook Stockholm riffage swirls and swoops before, like a bolt of sunshine through blackened clouds, melodic, almost upbeat lead work cuts through the mix before being beaten back once more by the brutal, an ongoing struggle developing between the two extremes.
As you might have gathered from the tone of this review thus far, I like this album a lot. In fact, I like it in much the same way as I like the new Cannibal Corpse release (which I reviewed earlier) - I quite like groups who carve out a niche for themselves and remain stolidly as masters of their particular style. Other bands may borrow Dismember's distinctive guitar tone (Fleshcrawl, I'm looking at you), but none can quite match the originals at their peak.
8.5/10
Dismember's Official Website
Regain Records Official Website
Regain Records - RR083 - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Stockholm stalwarts Dismember have returned once more, and after proving with Where Ironcrosses Grow that there's life in the old dog yet, they seem intent on bulldozering the competition with their latest record, The God That Never Was. Thankfully (since we wouldn't have it any other way), it sounds exactly how you would expect a 2006 Dismember album to sound - that guitar tone is front and centre, growling and roaring like a rampaging demon. Meanwhile, the recent increased melodicism in the guys' songwriting finds shape in the form of some nifty soloing and catchy dual-guitar harmonies.
Oh, and by the way, 'increased melodicism' doesn't mean 'wimping out' - listen to album highlight 'Time Heals Nothing' as it roars out of the starting gates with a thundering low-end and a murderous pace, guitars carving a bloody path through the whirlwind drumming, before settling into a deliberately hostile groove while Matti Karki's primal howling dominates, before slowing even further into a near doom-dirge pace. Listen to instrumental 'Phantoms (Of The Oath)', as textbook Stockholm riffage swirls and swoops before, like a bolt of sunshine through blackened clouds, melodic, almost upbeat lead work cuts through the mix before being beaten back once more by the brutal, an ongoing struggle developing between the two extremes.
As you might have gathered from the tone of this review thus far, I like this album a lot. In fact, I like it in much the same way as I like the new Cannibal Corpse release (which I reviewed earlier) - I quite like groups who carve out a niche for themselves and remain stolidly as masters of their particular style. Other bands may borrow Dismember's distinctive guitar tone (Fleshcrawl, I'm looking at you), but none can quite match the originals at their peak.
8.5/10
Dismember's Official Website
Regain Records Official Website
