The Amenta - Flesh Is Heir

Despite what some people like to say about industrial elements in metal, the music doesn't always attract acne-scarred mallgoths or their more extreme electro cousins. The Amenta is a good case in point where their debut Occasus was largely enjoyed by metal fans of both the technical, electro, and esoteric varieties. n0n was a mixed bag for some, but I enjoyed it for it's complex visual atmosphere. When listening to n0n I always imagined a sprawling mass of steel towers, walkways, smokestacks, acid rain, neon lights, and cybernetics ala the classic science fiction film Bladerunner.

Flesh Is Heir is the newest full-length from the Australian group, and it has them drawing elements from their Occasus sound and welding them onto the towers of the cyberpunk dystopia built on n0n. Flesh Is Heir is also the first full-length feature on which we can hear The Amenta's new bassist, drummer, and vocalist. On a side note, Diazonon (aka: David Haley, Joe Haley of Psycroptic's brother) used to do drums for The Amenta, and he's the original reason I became interested in the band. Now that he and a few other members checked out I had some reservations about Flesh Is Heir, although I did listen to their EP V01D which features some remixes of Occasus-era tracks with the new lineup. Nothing really stuck with me, and as time wore on I quickly forgot about V01D, further making me skeptical of Flesh Is Heir.

After a few listens I can safely say I'm not disappointed. Cain Cresall handles the vocal duties surprisingly well, and his restrained vocal style matches the imagery and vibe of the album. Like a chained beast he emits tormented wails that are haunting yet appropriately intelligible. He's especially potent on early tracks "Ego Ergo Sum" and the groovy "Teeth." There's a good bit of melody in his harsh vocals too, and the interplay between his different vocal lines is fun to hear. These are often fleeting and the vocal melodies serve to embellish the more complex melodies churned out by Erik Miehs. At times his playing borders on a technical death metal style: odd time signatures, large dissonant intervals, arpeggiated chords, and general tight playing are all in his repertoire. He isn't showing off, but his precise playing is (and has been) pretty impressive since Occasus.

The instrumentation serves to amplify the feeling of restrained chaos that seeps from Flesh Is Heir. Each track feels very tense yet never lets the tension go, building a ziggurat of emotional imbalance. I think this is what The Amenta were going for although I can see why some people would assume that the concepts behind certain tracks are unfinished ("The Argument" for example, which grows on me every time I listen to it). The occasional dark ambient or industrial track tends to relieve some of the stress ("A Womb Tone," the Blut Aus Nord-ian "Cell") but for the most part this tension is never resolved on the tracks which present the initial idea. "Obliterate's Prayer" is an exception and feels cathartic and a little bit sombre. It's one of the highlights of Flesh Is Heir for that reason, and while some would decry the later tracks like "Sewer" and "The Argument," they serve their purpose and are some of the higher tempo tracks on the album. "Tabula Rasa," as another cathartic track, is appropriately the closer.

The industrial sound of n0n is apparent on Flesh Is Heir and the production and mixing reflects that. The drum programming is solid, but I can't get behind the tinny sound of the bass drum. The guitars are edgy and the mastering for the most part is loud and clean. The occasional vocal effect is used for atmosphere but it never gets offensive or too cheesy. Overall it suits the atmosphere of the album, but the sound could be a bit more opaque. Both Occasus and n0n had a nice "dirty" sound to them that this album lacks.

The half-realized melodic vocal work was definitely the biggest surprise for me, but I can't say I'm against the idea. It fit Flesh Is Heir pretty damn well.

8.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Flesh Is Heir
2. Ego Ergo Sum
3. Teeth
4. A Womb Tone
5. Obliterate's Prayer
6. Sewer
7. The Argument
8. Cell
9. Disintegrate
10. A Palimpesest
11. Tabula Rasa

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Blut Aus Nord - Cosmosophy

Now for a more serious review...

Sect(s) put a new spin on old Blut Aus Nord material from 2003, The Work Which Transforms God, and borrowed heavily from popular countrymates Deathspell Omega. I enjoyed the winding guitarwork, interesting dynamics, and even the minimal industrial elements. This album was a hit with me that really made me wonder where they were planning to go with the sequels.

The Desanctification was a bit different and featured more atmospheric, plodding tracks that were also heavier on the industrial elements. It had it's moments, but felt uninvolved at times.

Now Cosmosophy concludes the trilogy with dominant clean vocalwork. The plodding guitarwork and industrial drones of The Desanctification make a return and once again some listeners will be alienated by these elements and the lack of the whole black metal aesthetic. Others like me will be put off by the dominant and forced-sounding clean vocals, and the fact the tracks never really seem to go anywhere.

I went into this album expecting a grandiose, layered, and powerful conclusion to the '777' trilogy. Initially I can't say I was disappointed. "Epitome XIV" is well a well-conceived opener that builds atmosphere without stealing the thunder from the later tracks. "XIV" subtly builds on its own drones and it sounds like the track culminates without realizing it. This is a recurring habit of the tracks on Cosmosophy. They all seem to reach their apex without feeling like they've gone the whole way, leading to some disappointing build-ups.

It's not really bad since the journey is a decent one if you can handle the weak clean vocals. They reach their lowest point on the second track ("Epitome XV") which sounds like an ambient or synth spoken-word track for most of its six-minute span. To me it is frustrating, tough to get through, and really breaks immersion. An unnecessary waste of album space. There are some harsh vocals at times, most notably during the apex of "XVI." For the most part though, Blut Aus Nord stick to low-mixed cleans.

The production and drumming on here is as it sounded on The Desanctification and its predecessor. Clicky and a little off-putting in its electronicness. The guitarwork is still just as chromatic as you've come to expect from these guys, and the wonderfully atmospheric ascending / descending pattern they abuse is back. The instrumentation reaches a sort of climax on "Epitome XVII," which is also one of the catchier tracks on the album. The riffing is simple and easy to hum along to in its slow-paced, high-register development. "Epitome XVIII" is the darkest track on the album, borrowing from the later tracks on The Desanctification for it's drum beat and serving as the conclusion to the trilogy.

I found Cosmosophy to be the weakest of the three in the trilogy, but that doesn't mean it's a bad album. Definitely recommended if you enjoyed the other two and want to hear some (very) iffy clean vocals.

6.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Epitome XIV
2.	Epitome XV
3.	Epitome XVI
4.	Epitome XVII
5.	Epitome XVIII

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Morbid Angel Tries Something New...

...And it fucking sucks.

Read some quotes on the new album by famous death metal musicians:

"No other band in the entire Extreme Metal genre but Morbid Angel would have ever dared to make 'Illud Divinum Insanus'. There are going to be quite a few unimaginative underground purists who think they know better what kind of album Morbid Angel should or should not be putting out, but with 'Illud Divinum Insanus' Trey and David prove that they answer to no one but themselves. It is an incredibly well written, performed, recorded and produced record." - Karl Sanders, NILE

"One of the best death metal releases since their last album with Vincent. I'm not too much into the techno bits but I am a dude who will appreciate and respect bands doing new things, progressing... So it's all good. Vincent's vocals of course are still as good as they come. And the riffs are definitely there, Trey always delivers. New drummer is killer too!" - Mikael Akerfeldt, OPETH

"Morbid Angel still prove they can continue their legacy and deliver their madness with a skill so elite. The metal scene has no choice but to give back the crown to the undisputable kings of death metal! MORBID! MORBID! MORBID!" - Anders 'Blakkheim' Nyström, KATATONIA

Well, those glowing comments might actually mean something if they were from bands who released a good album sometime in the last half-decade. Illud Divinum Insanus leaked a week or so ago and it is pretty much shit. How is it even possible for Morbid Angel, the most consistent and creative death metal band of the progenitors (and easily my favorite), to create something so bad? Bare with me while I try to explain the laziness apparent on Morbid Angel's latest.

Frankly, Illud Divinum Insanus is not a death metal album. From the opener "Too Extreme!" it's pretty apparent that Morbid Angel wanted to experiment with some industrial or electronic elements. That's cool and totally possible to work into a death metal context (see: The Berzerker or The Amenta on Occasus). Instead it's a poorly done Rammstein-soundalike that manages to be less catchy. Trey Azagthoth's normally virtuosic guitarwork is limited to a few power chords while the pounding "unce" of the industrial undertones gives the listener a headache. Coming from someone who normally likes industrial electro, that's saying something.

The tracks progress in a similar fashion, each one reduced to a groove with a few melodic lines and patterns produced over the top of a steady drum beat or industrial beat. "I Am Morbid" is one of the most insipid tracks I've ever heard by a death metal band. It begins with a sample of a crowd chanting "MORBID!" and then after Trey plays a few simple licks, it degenerates into a Pantera-like groove that makes Phil Anselmo and Dimebag look like musical geniuses. There's even an obviously placed hook right after. Granted, David Vincent is older now, but his vocals are utter garbage on this album. Perhaps I hold Morbid Angel  to a higher standard than some other death metal bands, but goddamn there is no excuse for how poorly he belts out "MORBID."

"Destructos Vs. The Earth / Attack" is literally Morbid Angel's attempt at an industrial dance anthem. Vincent once again displays how poorly his voice has aged with his chanting and clean vocals, and much to my disappointment the 7-minute track doesn't exactly improve from the first minute. Then there's fucking Radikult. Jesus christ I don't know what Morbid Angel was thinking, but that song is absolute shit. Stupid brainless chugging riffs, poorly placed palm mutes, and bland drumwork make the (also 7-minute) track seem like a huge, blundering waste of space on the album. Oddly enough "Radikult" has the best solo on the entire album, but even then it's more a showcase of studio effects rather than Trey's guitarwork.

Old Morbid Angel rises to the surface for several seconds on a few tracks like "Blades For Baal," "Nevermore," (released as a single) and "Beauty Meets Beast," but the hallmarks of their success are all but nonexistent on Illud Divinum Insanus. Even those few death metal tracks are seemingly uninspired. It's pretty damn disappointing since it has been an eternity since their last album. Eight years and you produce this piece of shit? What the fuck Morbid Angel.

3.25 out of 10

And I completely understand that doing something different often polarizes fans, but the industrial and electronic elements present on this album really could've been done better. I feel like people will still praise it for what it stands for (a big "fuck you we do what we want" sort of thing), but the music itself is at best a pathetic shadow of former Morbid Angel.

Tracklisting:
1. Omni Potens
2. Too Extreme!
3. Existo Vulgoré
4. Blades of Baal
5. I Am Morbid
6. 10 More Dead
7. Destructos Vs. the Earth / Attack
8. Nevermore
9. Beauty Meets Beast
10. Radikult
11. Profundis - Mea Culpa

The leak was taken down, sorry guys! Well not really. I just saved you from listening to this garbage.