Sickening Horror When Landscapes Bled Backwards
Neurotic Records/Willowtip WT053 June 25, 2007
By Jason Jordan
There are several notables about Sickening Horrors long-player debut:
1. This album is the first that Willowtip will distribute in North America on behalf of Neurotic.
2. Drum extraordinaire George Kollias (Nile, ex-Nightfall) contributes his skills to When Landscapes Bled Backwards.
3. And last but not least, the mix comes courtesy of Auslanders Neil Kernon.
On the surface, the involvement of the entities/people mentioned above makes for a great-sounding, talent-laden technical death metal record in theory. Luckily, the execution is well above par, which catapults the inventive Sickening Horror to heights higher than expected.
Following Descending the Minds Abyss, which seems borrowed from the Silent Hill series, An Eerie Aspect of Us Drowning lunges forth in an aggressive, eviscerating manner. Though fast and knotty at times, the song slows intermittently, yet incorporates the kind of ingenuity that Anata and fellow, innovative tech deathsters also bring to the unforgiving table. Others such as This Cold Funeral, The Perfect Disease, Dark One Surreality, and more utilize electronics to the point that Sickening Horror expand in an industrialized direction. Needless to say, the former is another method by which the trio remains fresh while delivering what could otherwise be a blur of unbelievable musicianship that would ultimately be difficult to come to grips with a la Beneath the Massacre, Odious Mortem, Ulcerate, et al. Curveballs include the jazzy portions of Imprisoned in Apocalypse and Virus Detected, which happen to sound more in tune with early 90s tech death than their peers, and piano interlude All Perceived Nothing. Besides the obvious positives, When Landscapes Bled Backwards also features a rousing bass performance that can be heard during most of its 35 minutes. In truth, there are no drawbacks, unless ya nitpick, but Robert Browning might sum up WLBB by claiming that its Faultless to a fault.
Overall, Sickening Horrors full-length is easily one of the better tech death releases Ive had the pleasure of listening to this year. In addition, it lends credibility to the recent marriage of Neurotic and Willowtip, which means those who have an affinity for this style dont have a reason to delay buying any longer. Now get to it.
Official Sickening Horror Website
Official Neurotic Records Website
Official Willowtip Website
Neurotic Records/Willowtip WT053 June 25, 2007
By Jason Jordan
There are several notables about Sickening Horrors long-player debut:
1. This album is the first that Willowtip will distribute in North America on behalf of Neurotic.
2. Drum extraordinaire George Kollias (Nile, ex-Nightfall) contributes his skills to When Landscapes Bled Backwards.
3. And last but not least, the mix comes courtesy of Auslanders Neil Kernon.
On the surface, the involvement of the entities/people mentioned above makes for a great-sounding, talent-laden technical death metal record in theory. Luckily, the execution is well above par, which catapults the inventive Sickening Horror to heights higher than expected.
Following Descending the Minds Abyss, which seems borrowed from the Silent Hill series, An Eerie Aspect of Us Drowning lunges forth in an aggressive, eviscerating manner. Though fast and knotty at times, the song slows intermittently, yet incorporates the kind of ingenuity that Anata and fellow, innovative tech deathsters also bring to the unforgiving table. Others such as This Cold Funeral, The Perfect Disease, Dark One Surreality, and more utilize electronics to the point that Sickening Horror expand in an industrialized direction. Needless to say, the former is another method by which the trio remains fresh while delivering what could otherwise be a blur of unbelievable musicianship that would ultimately be difficult to come to grips with a la Beneath the Massacre, Odious Mortem, Ulcerate, et al. Curveballs include the jazzy portions of Imprisoned in Apocalypse and Virus Detected, which happen to sound more in tune with early 90s tech death than their peers, and piano interlude All Perceived Nothing. Besides the obvious positives, When Landscapes Bled Backwards also features a rousing bass performance that can be heard during most of its 35 minutes. In truth, there are no drawbacks, unless ya nitpick, but Robert Browning might sum up WLBB by claiming that its Faultless to a fault.
Overall, Sickening Horrors full-length is easily one of the better tech death releases Ive had the pleasure of listening to this year. In addition, it lends credibility to the recent marriage of Neurotic and Willowtip, which means those who have an affinity for this style dont have a reason to delay buying any longer. Now get to it.
Official Sickening Horror Website
Official Neurotic Records Website
Official Willowtip Website
