BTW, Death Metal Album Of The Year:
Deathevokation - The Chalice Of Ages
Click the images to go to their myspace and website.
Despite what it may seem, from the old school Death Metal logos, to the early 90s underground magazine layout of their website, to the immense amount of old school Death Metal posters hanging on their walls, to the fact that the band is named after an old Dismember demo-era song, Deathevokation is
not your standard fare retro trend OSDM throwback and regurgitating what dozens upon dozens of bands have done before them. What they do, however, is take these core elements, expand upon them, and refashion it in their own image. The band is headed by Götz Vogelsang, who grew up in Germany watching bands like Fleshcrawl, Lemming Project, Atrocity, and Morgoth develop in the German underground. He relocated to California, and this is his way of paying back the music that has given him so much. This album is ambitious in scope relative to what one would normally expect from a band in this style, and in fact rarely falls into the standard cliches that have been known to turn people away. It's heavy, melodic, crushing, atmospheric, and quite simply some of the best Death Metal that's come out in the past decade, easily. If you enjoy Old School Death Metal but want something new as well, you will probably find much to admire in this band. It may not be immediately accessible, but it grows on you.