Dawn of Demise, Lacerated
Hurling meaty, chunky slabs of mid-tempo death metal, Denmark’s Dawn of Demise deliver the goods with their latest EP Lacerated. While the two original tracks on the short disc are pretty damned catchy — serving up heaping piles of groove/blasting death metal with guttural growls and bruising riffs — it’s the band’s three cover songs that really make this EP worthwhile. Taking on the task of covering three seminal songs from Suffocation, At The Gates and Obituary really doesn’t seem out of place for these guys, but it’s their personal take on the songs that makes them that much more interesting.
Extinction Seems Imminent
The first fresh track of fresh material from the band is a pretty beefy song with thick riffing, plenty of head banging groove and some frenzied blasts that’ll keep you grinning like a madman. Speaking of madmen, the band throws in a nicely timed sound clip from the show Dexter for good measure. Even though the song is dominated by chunky riffs, there are some nice flourishes of brighter sounding guitars here and there to keep the song from stagnating. The lead at 3:24 is a nice touch.
Ridden With Disgust
Thick slabs of chunky groove and guttural gurgles get “Ridden With Disgust” off to a heavy start as the pace picks up nicely shortly after the start. The blasts at 2:20 after a decent growl is a nice wake up from the groove. Both of the new songs, while single minded in purpose and delivery, are pretty damned catchy and enjoyable. The lead at the four minute mark is a nice change of pace and well executed.
Infecting The Crypts
The first cover on the EP is Suffocation’s “Infecting The Crypts.” The production is a bit crisper on the modern version of the song, but there’s something to say for the original’s raw sound. While Dawn of Demise‘s interpretation of the band is a bit beefier and more bludgeoning, I think I prefer the more evil sound that Suffocation had. This is a fun, slamming take on the song, however.
Blinded By Fear
How does a fairly brutal death metal band, take on the galloping, melodic tones of the legendary At The Gates? By toning down slamming riffs a bit, but not too much. That said, the band does a nice job throwing their own groove into the mix and not just aping the a melodic death metal template. It’s a sweet cover.
Turned Inside Out
I’m a huge Obituary fan, so I was looking forward to this song the most out of the three covers. While the Danish bludgeoners do a nice job with the sludgy swamp filled riffs, I’m not feeling the vocals. There aren’t many folks out there that can mimic Tardy’s tortured screams so the song doesn’t quite have the same feel. That said, it’s still a pretty good cover.
~ ~ ~
Additional Notes:
N/A