Act Of God are a Russian blackened death metal band attempting to sound aggressive like genre titans Behemoth and brooding like NYDM legends Immolation. Instead they sound more awkward than anything on Kaosism, but that's not to say it's a poor album. Just a poorly executed one. Also the album cover first caught my eye because it looked like Dawn Of Possession's, but on closer inspection it's a bit different.
Binary intro aside, "Rain on the Earth" is a solid opener. It's got that intentionally janky Immolation riffing and ends on a mid-range solo. The next few tracks are a bit less impressive, with "Great Arise" being a reject from Behemoth's already weak discography. For some reason there's an uninspired industrial electro beat on the filler track "Gladius Diaboli," which leads into the fucking boring "Day Of Revenge." In fact if I had to describe the first half of Kaosism in one word, it'd be that: boring.
The latter half of the album is where Act Of God's Immolation influences shine a bit more. "Daath" is an otherwise predictable track until the solo, and "Vortex Of Devastation" uses some interesting rests and time signatures. These later tracks are also a bit more mid-paced, but that makes them feel less generic. In fact the closing track (not counting the outro "Ordo Nihil") "Exodus to Nothing" capitalizes on some pretty sweet, slower riffing.
Sadly while there are some interesting riffs and rhythms on the latter half of Kaosism, the album as a whole has some really weak mixing. There's almost no bass to speak of, and although each musician's performance is moderately technical, the production really kills it. It's quite tough to get into a metal album that's lacking heaviness or atmosphere, and this album is lacking both in quantities that make it painful.
5.0 out of 10
Tracklisting:
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