Strangulation "Atrocious Retribution" CD
[Retribute]
Another brutal death metal band pops up in Sweden with a succinct debut that drops plenty of classic styled death metal with a good mix of speedy tremolo picking and thick power chord breakdowns. Sure, punchy basslines ala Cannibal Corpse and plenty of pinch harmonics make appearances (love the basslines, not so into the pinch harmonics), and this isn't particularly original, but it's okay for what it is. The vocals are growled and come in somewhat barked vocal patterns that wear on me a little bit, but I enjoy some of the music. Really the only thing holding them back sound-wise is the mix. The drums are a little clicky (not too bad), but other than that things sound decent, it's just an unbalanced mix that puts the vocals and percussion a little out front. I love the bass tone and it's important that the basslines be as prominent as they are here, but the guitars are on the muddy side and lack the overall force needed to drive this style of music. The sound is inconsistent as well, as one or two songs are significantly louder and have a different sounding guitar tone, so... they're on the right track, but a more efficient sound could definitely help. "The Strangulation" is the only song that tops four minutes, splicing in some clean guitars at one point and carrying on with a more consistently midpaced tempo for most of its duration, and "I Need to Kill..." is by contrast one of the fastest and most energetic of the bunch. The artwork on the cover is pretty damn cool, something about the fiery color scheme and overall style of the art with the classic death metal logo really stands out a lot. It's a shame there are no lyrics included, just a tiny band photo and a thanks list, but what can you do? Not great, not terrible. They're walking the line right now. The production is hurting them a little (tightening up the playing a tad wouldn't hurt either), but the songwriting also needs more energy and force to really stick with you. I love the bass playing and its role in the songs, but aside from that I'm not really taken by much of this, though diehard fans of the genre may disagree. I was hoping for something a bit more, so maybe they'll nail it next time around. Great album title, though! (5/10)
Running time - 26:03, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: The Strangulation, I Need to Kill...]
Retribute Records - http://www.retributerecords.com

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