Salem - Collective Demise
KMG/ System Shock, 2002
How many times do you think about Isreal when it comes to death metal? Do you know any Israeli bands at all? I think some bands' names may sound familiar to all of us, but that still doesn`t mean we`ve ever heard the music these bands play. That was my case with Salem too. I`ve heard their name before, but didn`t know anything else about the band. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a cd he liked so much: the new Salem cd, Collective Demise.
Salem was formed in 1985 and this is their 4th full length album. They worked in two studios in Israel and produced the album themselves. I don`t know what kind of music they had played before, but Collective Demise is an interesting piece of melodic death metal. When I say melodic DM please don`t think about any band that has been labeled as melodic DM lately, because I simply can`t compare Salem to those bands. The first word that comes to mind when I listen to their music is `strange`.
They've managed to create their very own style and sound.
There are many influences in Salem`s music, ranging from black metal to oriental melodies, and combining the elements of all these different styles created the `strange` feeling around their music. The songs are mostly mid-paced with faster passages. The music is based on the heavy guitar riffings together with the dry sounding drums. The tempo changes make the songs somehow intense, though it`s not fast and complicated, but varied enough to keep your attention all the time. Due to this, the songs have an unusual, clear structure. The whole album is heavy, dark and aggressive. If I want to describe it in one word I would say it is MASSIVE. If you like the grimness of black metal and the tight tempos of death metal, spiced up with heavy sounding guitar solos, you will definetely enjoy this album.
They have a female vocalist (Kristin E. Wallace) on the album, but we can hear her only a few times and mostly she took part in the backing vocals, giving a light gothic-like touch to those songs, such as in the refrain of `Coming End of Reason`: "When blood is seen in heaven, God knows his creature`s gone insane". Her clean, soft voice draws a sharp contrast with Ze`ev`s vocals. Actually his voice characterises the band. Though it`s not too varied and melodic, it`s very harsh, raw, primitive. This is what makes their music natural and grim. Sometimes his vocals contrast with the melodic, often-catchy music.
They used Afro-Cuban percussion and Arabic darbuka, and the sound of these special instruments give another interesting experiment to the listeners. It's enough to mention the acoustic song `Act Of Terror`. The lyrics are dealing mostly with issues in Israel, and the song `Al taster` is a cover of an old Jewish hymn whose lyric is taken from Psalms, chapter 102, verse 3. Their lyrics show the reality of our lifes. And one song is dedicated to their Israelian fans, it`s `Broken Yet United`.
This is a very well composed album and it`s good to hear their freshness among the tons of similar-sounding releases nowadays.
My favourite songs from the album: `Broken Yet United`, `Coming End of Reason`, `Act of War`, `Collective Demise`, `Feed On Your Grief` and `Recall`.
Collective Demise is an interesting example of today`s modern death metal. You may like it or not, but it is an original, unique album.
Tracklist:
1. Broken Yet United
2. Coming End Of Reason
3. Slave
4. Act Of Terror
5. Act Of War
6. Collectibe Demise
7. Dead Eyes
8. Feed On Your Grief
9. Decadence In Solitude
10. Recall
11. Al Taster
12. Inhuman Greed
Length: 48:24
Salem Official Homepage
KMG Music
KMG/ System Shock, 2002
How many times do you think about Isreal when it comes to death metal? Do you know any Israeli bands at all? I think some bands' names may sound familiar to all of us, but that still doesn`t mean we`ve ever heard the music these bands play. That was my case with Salem too. I`ve heard their name before, but didn`t know anything else about the band. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a cd he liked so much: the new Salem cd, Collective Demise.
Salem was formed in 1985 and this is their 4th full length album. They worked in two studios in Israel and produced the album themselves. I don`t know what kind of music they had played before, but Collective Demise is an interesting piece of melodic death metal. When I say melodic DM please don`t think about any band that has been labeled as melodic DM lately, because I simply can`t compare Salem to those bands. The first word that comes to mind when I listen to their music is `strange`.
They've managed to create their very own style and sound.
There are many influences in Salem`s music, ranging from black metal to oriental melodies, and combining the elements of all these different styles created the `strange` feeling around their music. The songs are mostly mid-paced with faster passages. The music is based on the heavy guitar riffings together with the dry sounding drums. The tempo changes make the songs somehow intense, though it`s not fast and complicated, but varied enough to keep your attention all the time. Due to this, the songs have an unusual, clear structure. The whole album is heavy, dark and aggressive. If I want to describe it in one word I would say it is MASSIVE. If you like the grimness of black metal and the tight tempos of death metal, spiced up with heavy sounding guitar solos, you will definetely enjoy this album.
They have a female vocalist (Kristin E. Wallace) on the album, but we can hear her only a few times and mostly she took part in the backing vocals, giving a light gothic-like touch to those songs, such as in the refrain of `Coming End of Reason`: "When blood is seen in heaven, God knows his creature`s gone insane". Her clean, soft voice draws a sharp contrast with Ze`ev`s vocals. Actually his voice characterises the band. Though it`s not too varied and melodic, it`s very harsh, raw, primitive. This is what makes their music natural and grim. Sometimes his vocals contrast with the melodic, often-catchy music.
They used Afro-Cuban percussion and Arabic darbuka, and the sound of these special instruments give another interesting experiment to the listeners. It's enough to mention the acoustic song `Act Of Terror`. The lyrics are dealing mostly with issues in Israel, and the song `Al taster` is a cover of an old Jewish hymn whose lyric is taken from Psalms, chapter 102, verse 3. Their lyrics show the reality of our lifes. And one song is dedicated to their Israelian fans, it`s `Broken Yet United`.
This is a very well composed album and it`s good to hear their freshness among the tons of similar-sounding releases nowadays.
My favourite songs from the album: `Broken Yet United`, `Coming End of Reason`, `Act of War`, `Collective Demise`, `Feed On Your Grief` and `Recall`.
Collective Demise is an interesting example of today`s modern death metal. You may like it or not, but it is an original, unique album.
Tracklist:
1. Broken Yet United
2. Coming End Of Reason
3. Slave
4. Act Of Terror
5. Act Of War
6. Collectibe Demise
7. Dead Eyes
8. Feed On Your Grief
9. Decadence In Solitude
10. Recall
11. Al Taster
12. Inhuman Greed
Length: 48:24
Salem Official Homepage
KMG Music
