Purtenance - …To Spread The Flame Of Ancients
"Member Of Immortal Damnation" is a considered classic in death metal circles, another case of a band so near but yet too far from the leading pack to make a real name for themselves in the past. With their 2013 comeback full album release "Awaken From Slumber" (following a short EP), this Finnish death metal band need a touch more fan fair in their status. So, getting straight down to business in the most brutal and loud way is the opening track ‘Invocatio’. The expectant eerie intro, slow burning anticipation and a touch of doom death follows, I half expected the pace to quicken but it does not, a strange choice of track to lead the album with I must say. What I expected comes next with ‘Perventio’ where the pace quickens immensely. Some of the drumming hammerblows really mess with inferior speakers, as if listening to music in the car with the window open, so if you get a buffeting effect, upgrade your system!
‘Destroyed Human Mind’ is what I really want to hear from an old school death metal band, both buzzsaw guitars and a tempo that varies. What this does do though on the faster sections is loose the guitars in the mix. When the slower passages come up, then the drums lose power, it’s a strange balance this one. ‘Disseminated Death’ is short, fast, precise and slightly more extreme on the vocals that introduce a near guttural delivery like the brutal death metal bands a few years back. Again, when the solo comes out, you lose the rhythm guitar and the drums go quieter. Now whether this is a dodgy mp3 version I have or not, it does kill the enjoyment having to play with the levels.
Whilst the production is a lot beefier than earlier efforts, especially as their debut got a bit of criticism regarding that, it’s still not perfect. My major niggle is the mix, the balance is still not perfect. But musically and based on the songs themselves, this album will satisfy your old school death metal needs as it doesn’t follow the expected blueprint to the letter of the law, there’s a touch more brutal death metal on this album than your pure old school buzzsaw guitar protagonists that are out there.
‘Destroyed Human Mind’ is what I really want to hear from an old school death metal band, both buzzsaw guitars and a tempo that varies. What this does do though on the faster sections is loose the guitars in the mix. When the slower passages come up, then the drums lose power, it’s a strange balance this one. ‘Disseminated Death’ is short, fast, precise and slightly more extreme on the vocals that introduce a near guttural delivery like the brutal death metal bands a few years back. Again, when the solo comes out, you lose the rhythm guitar and the drums go quieter. Now whether this is a dodgy mp3 version I have or not, it does kill the enjoyment having to play with the levels.
Whilst the production is a lot beefier than earlier efforts, especially as their debut got a bit of criticism regarding that, it’s still not perfect. My major niggle is the mix, the balance is still not perfect. But musically and based on the songs themselves, this album will satisfy your old school death metal needs as it doesn’t follow the expected blueprint to the letter of the law, there’s a touch more brutal death metal on this album than your pure old school buzzsaw guitar protagonists that are out there.
- Invocatio
- Preventio
- Waiting To Be Free
- I, The Sacrificed
- On The Far Side Of Knowledge
- Destroyed Human Mind
- Blood Oath
- Cornerstone Of Insanity
- Disseminated Death
- The Unseen
- Kaaos On Kanssamme (Chaos Is With Us)
Label: www.xtreemmusic.com
Reviewer: twansibon
Nov 3, 2015
Nov 3, 2015
Next review:
Red Razor - Beer Revolution
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