Ok, I was going to let you decide but let's got with Deathcult. Focus particularly on tracks 4, 6, 7 and 8 if you can (my favourites).
OK, I did a shitty track-by-track review as I listened. Overall, I thought it was good, but the problems I've had with other Chasm albums (poor, if frequent, variations on riffs to make up for lack of ability to write interesting ones) were mostly limited to just the first song on it. Rhythmically it got a bit repetitive and the pacing is slower than I usually like, but it had its good points there too.
Song 1: Tremolo picked riffs get pretty boring starting around 2 minutes, to avoid repetition they just repeat up or down a couple steps or so or throw on some kind of harmony that just sounds arbitrary. Good riff at 4:20. The solos are kind of crappy, trying to sound unrestrained and crazy but just sounding sloppy and kinda second-rate Slayer, not even fitting the song. Overall a mess. 3/10.
Song 2: More aggressive and not trying as hard working for the better. Riffs are more low-key, although when I focus on them I realize they’re a bit more interesting, a plus. 6/10.
Song 3: This one is kind of interesting, the ringing chords and monotonous pulse as the faster parts gives me a kind of DMDS vibe. 6/10.
Song 4: Why isn’t this considered a black/death album? I’m hearing black metal everywhere on this album. Those parts, in the very intro and the second half I’m preferring here. That acoustic line is pretty weak and I swear he hits a wrong note right at the start of it, which isn’t that big of a deal on its own but I don’t really like the way it builds and especially dramatic-sounding bits around 1:50, sounds like they’re halfway to forcing a ballad. 5/10.
Song 5: The first four songs were all distinct enough but this is starting to sound a little repetitive here. Too many marching triplet rhythms now, and I’m getting tired of this guy’s girly high-pitched screams. That riff around 4:00 is neat, catchy but evocative. 4/10.
Song 6: Kind of a similar deal to song 4, definitely trying at a bit of a melodic/heavy thing here, although I think this one goes further and better. Riffs and progressions are definitely right out of some 80s textbook. That melody at 2:30 had the potential to go somewhere lame, but the turn it around into something that almost gives me Adramelch vibes or something, kinda romantic and wistful shit, I like that. Drumming is changing things up too, playing more to the epic doom tropes but it works. First song that sounds start-to-finish like it was trying to be ambitious without doing fuck-knows-what, and succeeding. 9/10.
Song 7: Pretty sure I’m hearing some Orion in this one, you better not hate on that one when you re-evaluate Master of Puppets.
Otherwise had trouble focusing here, the riffs are just so bland. The acoustic parts under hum in a way that almost makes it sound like some kind of Chinese windchimes or something, although it’s probably just out of tune, either way those parts at least sounds cool. 5/10.
Song 8: Already love this intro, very dancy and circus-esque with elaborate decorations at the end of every other measure, kinda Psychotic Waltz style. The rest was solid, didn’t really grasp me but admittedly I zoned out a bit when the intro set the bar high. 6/10.
Song 9: This one reminds me strongly of some black metal song, although I don’t know which one. Probably something from DMDS again. Regardless, the pacing is good and overall has the amount of aggression I’d like. The melodic bridge goes on a tiny bit too long but nothing unacceptable. Overall strong. 7/10.
