October 15, 2009 | | 3

Sound of Detestation, s/t

Sound of Detestation: s/t

First released in 2007, Sound of Detestation‘s self-titled debut effort only just showed up in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago. How’s that for the postal system? In all seriousness, Grindhead Records is rereleasing this one with plans for another album from the band later this year (or early 2010). So what does a 2 year old demo have to offer? Only 17 grinding tracks in the vein of Nasum in just over 25 minutes time.

Fuzzed out and textured guitars (that sometimes have a misanthropic black metal feel) dominate the recording as manic blast after manic blast from the drums pepper your skull like a million angry wasps penetrating your eardrum. The constant din of noise that’s layered overtop of the music on this one can be a bit much after a few listens so be warned. Vocally, the band’s message is delivered through a combination of mid-range, rather clean screams and deep, uber guttural growls. All together, this is a pretty damned solid first album that only whets my appetite for more.

Voided and Blind
Rapid fire drums open up the album with military style feel. That quickly subsides as the guttural growls come in with thick, texture riffs and steady drumming. This one is quick and bludgeoning.

The Red Light
The Sepultura-like opening guitar reverb leads into pummeling drum blasts and ferocious vocals that work pretty damned well together. There’s actually a bit of a groove to this one as the guys get out of the grinding noise for a bit and into some mid-tempo mosh. The guitars even take on a slightly melodic tone toward the end. Not a bad song at all.

Culture?
This next one has a sound that’s familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. At any rate, the guitars take on a similar tone to the last song with their slight melodic nature, but overall this is a feeding frenzy of grinding madness.

Freedom
I love the tempo shifts throughout this short song. The layered vocals also add a nice touch, creating much needed depth to the song. The second half of the song is brutal with maniacal drums.

Human Heart
I was wondering when we were going to get some sound clips in a song. The band did a nice job holding out until the fifth track before adding one in. The drumming throughout “Human Heart” is barbaric and thundering. The guitars still suffocate, yet hit nicely during the brief mosh around :20.

As I am
I love the opening to “As I Am.” It’s a nice smooth build up to the punk fueled drumming vocal delivery. There’s also some sweet guitar work highlighted amongst the static filled riffing. This is a favorite song for sure.

The Withering Process
Deep guttural vocals are the primary lyric delivery machine for this next song. The guitar tones are a bit fuller on this one as well as darker in nature. The moshing riffs around :40 are a nice touch and help break up the din of grinding noise.

Follow the Leaders
There’s some decent technical guitar work on “Follow the Leaders” that’s outside of the blinding grind blasts we’ve heard thus far on the album. I love the little bursts of groove that fills in between the rapid fire, grinding eruptions.

Control
I’m not sure what to make of this next song. The opening first 15 seconds or so are unique and really stand out from anything on the first half of the album. This two minute plus long instrumental really showcases the band’s ability to brand outside of the often restrictive lines of grind and is actually a pretty damned decent song.

Fuck Your Head
After that smooth and calm reprieve, Sound of Detestation snap out out of your nap with a huge scream and crushing riffs. The guitars are chaotic at first but settle into a series of driving riffs. The drumming is maniacal and hellbent on crushing your skull.

Fallen
“Fallen” starts off with a bit of a melancholy black metal feel before reverb and a sound clip come in. The grind comes in shortly there after with thick guitars and layered guttural growls. I’m actually loving the hell out of this song. I’ve had to play it several times in a row to satiate my thirst for it.

Doomed to Consume
“Doomed to Consume” sounds like a title that could have been on any Napalm Death album. It’s a bludgeoning, straightforward sand blaster to the face with thick riffs, duel vocals and punishing rhythm — all in under a minute, too.

Predestinated Course
These guys like to throw in those distant, misanthropic black metal tones with their guitars (:15), don’t they. It’s a nice touch and goes real well with the textured riffs and overall grinding fury they’re laying down for this album. Man these guys have an aggressive delivery.

L psedels Prioriteringar
I’m digging the opening to this next one. The guitar/drum trade-off is short lived, but fun. The decision to change up between vocal deliveries every now and again definitely helps each track sound fresh, keeping the album from stagnating in a whirlwind of grind. The slowly degrading finish into a churning mass of noise is also a great touch.

Dedication
“Dedication” starts off like the band is playing in closed dumpster, with echoing noise and crashing drums. This is another instrumental that’s pretty decent with a feeling of coldness and distance.

Hate
A slick, short lead gets this one underway with steady drum work and varied vocal patterns. This one is thick and burly.

The Storm
The final track is a punk fueled, grinding blast with some sweet guitar tones. It’s not quite as suffocating as the rest of the album which only proves to highlight the textures and vocal work. The track ends rather subdued with light, clattering noise and fading reverb.

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Additional Notes:
N/A