Although Finland has its own history and touch in old school death metal, it seems to be the legendary Swedish scene that has influenced these Finns when they created their first offering, an EP named Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead, a 28-minute feast on graveyards and the stench of rotten flesh. Yes, Cryptborn offers here nothing but old school Swedish death metal. If by now you think you’ve had your share of this style already, do not read further, as there’s nothing whatsoever novel on Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead.
I, myself, am also growing a little tired of the constant stream of bands hailing this early 90s period in metal’s history, but fortunately I’ve had a little break now for, say, a month or two. So at least right now Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead kicks just enough ass to keep me focused throughout the seven tracks, starting with the introductory ”A Feast for the Grave” that, luckily, isn’t a lame synth piece but an actual piece of the very meat: thick, asphyxiating, down-tuned guitars, low growls from the depths of hell, and a somewhat slow tempo. And so the rampage begins and there’s no sign of compromises to be found anywhere - a vague moment of difference is when the accented, ominous church bells hit on the third, self-tield track.
On records like this, it is not uncommon to come across deliberate compositional stagnancy as the bands want to stay within certain borders, so the main focus, at least for me, goes on the atmosphere and production. And these two things are certainly top-notch here: the sound is fittingly ugly and filthy, a lot better than on many other contenders within this style, evoking a horrific atmosphere. Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead can not be recommended to anyone else than the worshippers of the certain old style (look out for the CD version via Dark Descent Records next month), as can be deduced from the above paragraphs already. In its narrow category, the EP is a success that also I like to listen to when the mood hits for the filthiest of death metal sounds.
I, myself, am also growing a little tired of the constant stream of bands hailing this early 90s period in metal’s history, but fortunately I’ve had a little break now for, say, a month or two. So at least right now Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead kicks just enough ass to keep me focused throughout the seven tracks, starting with the introductory ”A Feast for the Grave” that, luckily, isn’t a lame synth piece but an actual piece of the very meat: thick, asphyxiating, down-tuned guitars, low growls from the depths of hell, and a somewhat slow tempo. And so the rampage begins and there’s no sign of compromises to be found anywhere - a vague moment of difference is when the accented, ominous church bells hit on the third, self-tield track.
On records like this, it is not uncommon to come across deliberate compositional stagnancy as the bands want to stay within certain borders, so the main focus, at least for me, goes on the atmosphere and production. And these two things are certainly top-notch here: the sound is fittingly ugly and filthy, a lot better than on many other contenders within this style, evoking a horrific atmosphere. Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead can not be recommended to anyone else than the worshippers of the certain old style (look out for the CD version via Dark Descent Records next month), as can be deduced from the above paragraphs already. In its narrow category, the EP is a success that also I like to listen to when the mood hits for the filthiest of death metal sounds.
3 / 5
No comments:
Post a Comment