Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Humiliation - Turbulence From The Deep


Don’t be fooled by the silly name; Humiliation is not a crossover band. Rather, these Malaysian metallers play death metal. “Turbulence From The Deep” is their 4th record in just 4 years, and is my introduction to the band. If the cover art didn’t give it away, this band is primarily obsessed with war and the chaos that it brings, not unlike UK death metal gods, Bolt Thrower. The comparisons to Bolt Thrower go well beyond the lyrics. Musically, “Turbulence From The Deep” is an ode to the barbaric, militaristic and pounding style of death metal that Bolt Thrower plays. The songs are generally mid-tempo, featuring crushing riffs. The drums almost exclusively play double-bass patterns with a simple rock beat over top. Plenty of the tracks feature those spacey melodic leads over top of down-tuned, immense power chords. There is such an undeniably powerful groove to this sound that makes for an excellent contrast to the punishing rhythms that surround it.The vocalist has done a surprisingly decent job of imitating Karl Willetts. Humiliation’s singer is definitely a bit rougher in his delivery though.

Unlike most worship bands, Humiliation is able to combine their main influences with some other popular sounds. For example, the opening riff to “Total War” has a “Born Dead” (Death) feel to it, with a bouncing, energetic drumbeat behind it. Other times, there is a distinct doom influence from bands like Asphyx or even Autopsy. The instruments are down-tuned so much that they can simply chug away at simplistic rhythms and still get your head banging (see the end of “Operation Obeo One” for a prime example). Additionally, there are a few moments where the band plays more like a typical death metal band: parts of “Phosphorous Shell” see the band using a more intense drum-beat before returning to their bludgeoning mid-tempo sound. With that said, there aren’t any blast beats on this album, nor is it overly complex or technical.

For those people who wish Bolt Thrower were still making albums (hint: everyone), you should give Humiliation a shot. Though there are some differences here and there, this is still the most authentic sounding Bolt Thrower-inspired record I have come across. “Turbulence From The Deep” is simply too crushing to miss out on.

Highlights
"Phosphorous Shell"
"Sea Denial"
"Total War"

Final Rating
3.9/5 or 78%. 

Written by Scott