Commit Suicide "Synthetics" CD
[Willowtip]
10 new tracks of ripping death metal from Commit Suicide, with a technical edge, but never shedding its sheer brutality - making for lots of quick changes and a slew of riffs that are definitely more complicated than might be apparent from a base level listen to the tracks. "Resonance" opens with a significantly slower and eerily melodic/dissonant passage and eventually ends up getting a bit more jarring with more repeating riffs that are almost irritating in a way, held up by some sick midpaced rhythms and a shitload of room for the percussion to go wild. Actually, the drumming really shines on this record, even more so than in their past work. Part of it's due to the clarity of the recording and the natural warmth of the drum tones, but the actual performance also perfectly accents the songs, spicing things up with flashy cymbal work and interesting patterns, as well as toning things down or hitting on straightforward beats when applicable. Unlike a few of the tracks, "Transient" is among the more focused and charges through its significant tempo changes and rhythmic shifts effortlessly with a constant flow. Commit Suicide succeeds where many such bands fail because, like "Transient", most of these songs hover right around three minutes, if not less, so rather than overstay their welcome by repeating themselves for five minutes or more, they build it up and break it back down as systematically as possible and harness more power as a result. The vocals are basically unrelenting low growls, a bit thicker and less discernible than is common, but definitely unique and truly fucked up in that regard (definitely a good thing) - occasionally flared up with some equally twisted screams. "Eternal Elegy" is absolutely my favorite track on the disc, the playing feels more precise, the vocal performance is a bit more animated, strange senses of melody are used more creatively and unexpectedly; whereas "Evolve" takes a quirkier approach to something almost reminiscent of the classic Florida death metal sound. I really enjoy the recording here. Everything is very clear but also really heavy, and not super polished either. You can hear the bass well, the drums are crystal clear and defined, the guitar tone is warm, the vocals fit right into the mix, etc. I'm not sure I'd change much. Perhaps polishing up the edges of the guitars and trying to give the bass a little more definition would be cool, but they're in a really good position right now. Something about the drum recording sounds a lot better to me than a great number of the death metal records that cross my path these days. Impressive. The layout's pretty cool as well, fusing abstract textures with tiny medical diagrams and what appear to be facial sculptures. I actually like a lot of the imagery from the traycard better than the front cover! The lyrics and such are all printed in subtle metallic gold ink, which is a nice touch. As far as content goes the tracks often tie in to themes suggested by the record's title, and I find the lyrics to be far better than average - excellent for death metal, really. "Born to genocide you choose to fornicate, Before the dying sun, Reproducing in this livid nest, Pride and imagery is your Spanish fly, Carved from ignorance and built on filth, Tainted colors of humanity aglow, Clone the glutton, Sin is reborn, The cycle of life burns through you, No escape from the everlasting decay, This is life without a life." I like this just about as much as I did their debut. A few things have made improvements (namely the recording), and perhaps I enjoyed minor aspects of the songwriting better the last time around, but either way this band is hands down one of my most respected death metal acts out there right now, and that fact's not gonna change. Very well done. (8/10)
Running time - 31:58, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Transient, Spore, Eternal Elegy, Evolve]
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