Review Summary: A lesson on how to make OSDM in the modern Age
Dead Congregation are a Greek Death Metal band and this is their second full-length release.
Right from the get-go Dead Congregation blast you with crushing riffs intense blast beats and relentless double-bass and monstrous vocals. Its everything you love about death metal done with a passion. You'll notice the raw and echoey production which alot of Death Metal Bands seem to be doing. This murky production definitely adds to the heaviness and feels as if the music itself has a crushing weight as if it was recorded in a submarine deep in the ocean but still feels as though it was created after the 90's, This kind of distinct sound is very similar to bands like Incantation and Disma and the Vocals themselves are also very reminiscent to those two bands. As with alot great death metal bands Dead Congregation has its fair share of memorable riffs and solos, The opening riff to the song Sperpentskin is a personal favorite of mine. This song is also good example of the album's doomier side but not the level of their first album, Again showing its similarity the band has between Disma and Incantation. These slower segments do a great job of creating a dense and heavy atmosphere and a sense of foreboding.
The Drumming in this album also top notch it's feels precise yet chaotic and he's relentless with double-bass honestly some of the best drumming in death metal iv'e heard. The song 'Quintessence Maligned' is a great example of the this. The drums seem to almost always fi with the song's and he mangeds to create some really top notch fills. The guitar-work is what you'd expect from a death metal great, heavy tone with generous amounts of distortion, which not only create great blistering fast riff's but also help with the slower more atmospheric parts of the album. The tremolo picking is also just a blast to hear especially when they use it on the higher strings, which almost feel black metal-esque. The solos themselves aren't really the typical slayer inspired, And often have some resemblance of melody, but still sound as evil as the rest of the album.
This album keeps close to death metal roots while still creating its own distincts sound If you're a fan of OSDM or death metal in simlar to bands like autopsy or the bands iv'e already mentioned l you should defintaley give this album a few spins, As for non fans this may or may not sway you, id still say give it a listen. I will definitely say its my personal favorite album of the year.
Pro's:
-Fantastic Riffs
-Superb drumming
-Great Murky/clean production
-Vocals are Great
- Great atmospheric and doom segments
-Con's:
- As with most albums in this genre and production style bass is very hard to hear. (this may just be my earphones though.)
-Not Exactly reinventing the wheel
