In recent years, one of the largest movements in the metal world has been the thrash revival. But there has also been another movement nearly as large, yet it's not as widely known as the NWOTM. This has been the sudden old school death metal revival, whether it's been the Swedeath worshipers, the Incantation lovers or the Autopsy clones, there are a lot of new death metal bands playing their music like it's 1991 all over again. Miasmal is no exception, but they also incorporate some very awesome crust influence to their hybrid of swedish death metal and the more doomy goodness.
To sum up the sound in one sentence all I have to say is that this is what Wolfpack/Wolfbrigade would sound like had they been a death metal band. The vocals sound extremely similar to those of Jonsonn on "A New Dawn Fades," only a bit more rough to suit the darker material. The same aggression and all around destructive pace that we all know and love of Wolfpack is also apparent here. Just take a listen to "We Will Live Forever" and "Toxic Breed" for a taste of the amazing metalpunk attack that Miasmal delivers. One of the integral parts of the music on Miasmal's self-titled debut has to be the drums. Of course there are the d-beats, but there are also some great double bass onslaughts as well as some terrific fills that add some real heaviness. I must also applaud the lack of blast beats on this record, because the speed that the band achieves at some points without the blasts is absolutely ridiculous. Once the track "Equinox 432" starts, it's almost like being hit by a wall of death metal brilliance and speed.
This group of Swedish misfits are an overachieving bunch though. It wasn't enough to bring in the heavy crust influence, but they also decided to look within to find their inner Autopsy. Miasmal manages to balance the intense metalpunk mayhem perfectly with some more doomy moments and I don't believe I have heard a better combination from any new band yet. With all of these different sounds, the threat of sounding like a forced clusterfuck of random influences becomes much greater, but these guys sound amazing. The opening track "Mesmerized" starts with an evil sounding doomy riff that is later accompanied by some even more evil sounding powerchords to achieve maximum heaviness. The songs "Mists" and "Death Mask" also possess some eerie doom metal qualities whether it's because of the heavy chords, melodies or guitar solos.
"Miasmal" has to be the best album I've heard all year, and it's quite a tragedy that it took me this long to listen to it. It's almost like the band was catering to my personal taste by combining some of my favorite bands ever into one album. So, if you're a fan of Dismember, Autopsy or Wolfpack then this album is made for you and if you're not a fan of any of those bands, you have my condolences.
Highlights
"Mesmerized"
"Mists"
"Toxic Breed"
Final Rating
4.7/5 or 94%.
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