Black/Death/Thrash metal. That's quite a broad spectrum of music, but its one that Dismemberment has seemingly conquered on their debut EP, The Condemned. This 6 song EP features tunes that range from vicious thrashers, to tracks that absolutely scream black/death metal, as well as an epic instrumental that features all of the above.
Since this is Dismemberment's debut EP, they were in dire need to write great material and leave a lasting first impression on metalheads across the globe, and I will say they accomplished that. The Condemned is a breath of fresh air in today's metal scene in America, as America has been mass producing hundreds of retro thrash bands, but Dismemberment does not follow that path, instead they sound like a band that you would expect was from Australia. Dismemberment would fit in perfectly with bands like Destroyer 666, Gospel of the Horns, Stormbane and all of those great black/thrash masters down under.
Dismemberment's greatest strength on this EP, is definitely their ability to structure their music in a catchy and aggressive fashion. One minute there will be a blazing fast thrash riff that suddenly turns into a riff that is damn-near impossible to not headbang to. The title track does exactly this and its probably the best track here for that reason. There is also a nice variety to the style of riffs, ranging from black and death metal riffs that create a dark aura while simultaneously mixing heavy and fast thrash riffs that remind the listener of Kreator and Morbid Saint.
The lead work here isn't anything short of great either, which is displayed tremendously by the solos and melodies found on every track. The marvelous instrumental track "No Peace on Earth, No Rest in Hell" and "Cryptic Isolation" both feature the best lead work on the EP. The vocals and rhythm section aren't really anything worth bragging about too much, but they do their jobs well enough and contribute to overall sound nicely.
There aren't many issues with this EP, but the couple that were most noticeable also happen to stem from the attributes that made this EP so good. The structuring at times tended to take the song nowhere at points and left me lost and bored. Some of the riffs also seemed to lack any inspiration and seemed bland. These flaws were only a problem in a couple on instances and don't really hurt the quality of The Condemned overall, but had these problems been remedied, this recording could have went from great to phenomenal.
Dismemberment is a band that needs to be noticed and they have made some noise with this release, but I know that their next outing will build upon this and be something truly special. I recommend this EP to anyone who wants to bang their head and have a great time doing it. The best tracks to do that to, would definitely be "The Condemned" and "Cryptic Isolation."
Be sure to check out Dismemberment on Facebook and like their page to stay updated with everything happening in the band!
http://www.facebook.com/DISMEMBERMENTohio
Final Rating - 4.3/5 or 86%.
No comments:
Post a Comment