The year 2011 has seen a lot of great releases and has been one of the better years for metal in general. Most of these releases have been from bands consisted of younger members, some so young that they were either a small child or infant when bands like Slayer and Kreator were shattering boundaries in the thrash realm or when Death and Possessed were spawning the death metal subgenre. So, when a band like Disma comes along, featuring members of many terrific bands from the past (Incantation and Funebrarum being the most notable) and there is nothing but praise resounding through the metal community about them, it's a very refreshing and positive thing to hear. I have yet to come across any bad press about Disma's debut full-length album "Towards the Megalith," so me getting my hands on this album was practically inevitable, and there is no disappointment or regret about getting this at all.
"Towards the Megalith" is one of the heaviest albums of 2011, without a doubt. To say this album slithers along and crushes simultaneously would be a major understatement. If one were to allude to this album as one that slithers like a serpent they had better mention that the serpent is a 500 pound constrictor that collapses your windpipe and smothers you with it's heaviness. Seriously, the guitar tone on this record is undeniably doomy and creates a brilliant atmosphere that hails back to the great death metal bands who filled the Finnish scene. With members coming from Incantation and Funebrarum, the doom-laden riffs and evil sound were to be expected, but the music found here isn't completely ripping off the members' former work. In fact, Disma was bringing that sound into 2011 with their own twist, taking influence from bands like Autopsy and disEMBOWELMENT to achieve that filthy and ridiculously heavy sound. These guys just hit you with one heavy riff after another, and then throw in a doomy interlude or a nice midpaced death metal tremolo section for good measure. Songs like "Chaos Apparition" and "Purulent Quest" really highlight this sound, never giving the listener a chance to escape the constricting suffocation of the serpent that is "Towards the Megalith."
Other than the stellar vocal performance from Craig Pillard (What do you expect though? It's fucking Craig Pillard) and the onslaught of heaviness from the guitars, there really isn't much more to discuss. Disma are exactly what an older band should be doing these days. They aren't changing much from the traditional sound, but they somehow manage to sound fresh, rather than generic or trying to hard to sound old-school. "Towards the Megalith" will drag you down into an abyss and it will not let you escape until the album is done, so if you have a short attention span and can't handle the doomy, slow pace that this record takes, we will not miss you. But, if you enjoy being buried by music heavier than a semi-truck, you have to hear this album.
Be sure to check out and like Disma on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Disma/137903672940606
Highlights
"Chaos Apparition"
"Lost in the Burial Fog"
"Purulent Quest"
Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.
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