Polterchrist Engulfed by the Swarm
Season of Mist September 6th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Polterchrist is a very overlooked band. I wont say theyre underrated, but I will claim that they arent noticed enough. Have you ever witnessed someone naming them as one of their favorite bands? I didnt think so. Engulfed by the Swarm though it wont shatter any monumental releases has managed to get on my good side.
Comparisons to Immolation, Suffocation, and the like should abound upon hearing Alone and the bludgeoning The Sun Will Burn Black. The latter features plenty of quality material (cool rhythms, unique vocals, et al) to be considered a formidable opus. Terminal commences in a mediocre fashion. At first, I thought it was going to be a crap instrumental but, as soon as the vocalizations kick in, the songs worth is heightened. I love the brutality at the 4:25 minute mark. Lies Pain Hate returns to the sound that the group prefers. Cheap, laughable samples introduce us to The Art of Ferocity, which is actually pretty good once the synthesizers cease to be. Here We Lie, Engulfed by the Swarm, Desolate Paradise, and The Battle all have the good, old death metal sound in full force, except for Desolate Paradise which is not as heavy as its counterparts. The Battle starts with a sample of well-done battle sounds, and occupies a heavy six minutes.
So, overall, Engulfed by the Swarm is worth looking into if you dont mind death metal that is perhaps too generic to warrant much acclaim. Polterchrist are all right with me, though. Their latest simply lacks the finesse to cause waves; however, I did notice ripples.
7.5/10
Official Polterchrist website
Official Season of Mist website
Season of Mist September 6th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Polterchrist is a very overlooked band. I wont say theyre underrated, but I will claim that they arent noticed enough. Have you ever witnessed someone naming them as one of their favorite bands? I didnt think so. Engulfed by the Swarm though it wont shatter any monumental releases has managed to get on my good side.
Comparisons to Immolation, Suffocation, and the like should abound upon hearing Alone and the bludgeoning The Sun Will Burn Black. The latter features plenty of quality material (cool rhythms, unique vocals, et al) to be considered a formidable opus. Terminal commences in a mediocre fashion. At first, I thought it was going to be a crap instrumental but, as soon as the vocalizations kick in, the songs worth is heightened. I love the brutality at the 4:25 minute mark. Lies Pain Hate returns to the sound that the group prefers. Cheap, laughable samples introduce us to The Art of Ferocity, which is actually pretty good once the synthesizers cease to be. Here We Lie, Engulfed by the Swarm, Desolate Paradise, and The Battle all have the good, old death metal sound in full force, except for Desolate Paradise which is not as heavy as its counterparts. The Battle starts with a sample of well-done battle sounds, and occupies a heavy six minutes.
So, overall, Engulfed by the Swarm is worth looking into if you dont mind death metal that is perhaps too generic to warrant much acclaim. Polterchrist are all right with me, though. Their latest simply lacks the finesse to cause waves; however, I did notice ripples.
7.5/10
Official Polterchrist website
Official Season of Mist website
