Sanguis Imperem - The Stagnation of Centuries
Independent - June 2008
By Paddy Walsh
This MCD from Californian death metal trio Sanguis Imperem comes hot on the heels of last year's MMVII demo. First off; these guys operate on a sort of militaristic, battle-friendly plane within the death metal realm, putting them more in the Bestial Warlust camp than, say the gore-splattered likes of Cannibal Corpse. The band's mostly mid-paced assault often recalls Bolt Thrower, not to mention because of the war-like themes.
The Stagnation of Centuries is a fairly straightforward death metal affair, which is somewhat refreshing thanks to the hordes of bands trying to out-technical each other with their fretboards. Each of the 5 tracks rumble along somewhat nonchalantly, leads being sparsely but effectively deployed, and a similar pace being maintained for most part mantained. 'Humanity's Dirge' is the most effective song to be found in this set, as it successfully produces a steamroller-like effect that truly evokes the militaristic themes on offer. Elsewhere the tracks are decent but unremarkable; opener 'The Fall of 66' is speedy but about a minuite too long, and 'Intolerance's doominess fails to bring it anywhere interesting before it finishes up in a rapid speedathon. Whilst it's commendable that Sanguis Imperum have chosen to attempt bludgeon through simple, effective pummelling, The Stagnation of Centuries lacks the necessary hooks to keep interest intact, and even at only 5 tracks it stll feels quite long. A decent effort, but nowhere near good enough to stand out from the crowd.
Official Sanguis Imperem MySpace
Independent - June 2008
By Paddy Walsh
This MCD from Californian death metal trio Sanguis Imperem comes hot on the heels of last year's MMVII demo. First off; these guys operate on a sort of militaristic, battle-friendly plane within the death metal realm, putting them more in the Bestial Warlust camp than, say the gore-splattered likes of Cannibal Corpse. The band's mostly mid-paced assault often recalls Bolt Thrower, not to mention because of the war-like themes.
The Stagnation of Centuries is a fairly straightforward death metal affair, which is somewhat refreshing thanks to the hordes of bands trying to out-technical each other with their fretboards. Each of the 5 tracks rumble along somewhat nonchalantly, leads being sparsely but effectively deployed, and a similar pace being maintained for most part mantained. 'Humanity's Dirge' is the most effective song to be found in this set, as it successfully produces a steamroller-like effect that truly evokes the militaristic themes on offer. Elsewhere the tracks are decent but unremarkable; opener 'The Fall of 66' is speedy but about a minuite too long, and 'Intolerance's doominess fails to bring it anywhere interesting before it finishes up in a rapid speedathon. Whilst it's commendable that Sanguis Imperum have chosen to attempt bludgeon through simple, effective pummelling, The Stagnation of Centuries lacks the necessary hooks to keep interest intact, and even at only 5 tracks it stll feels quite long. A decent effort, but nowhere near good enough to stand out from the crowd.
Official Sanguis Imperem MySpace
