Dismember "Where Ironcrosses Grow" CD
[Karmageddon]
You know, I've never been a huge Dismember fan beyond "Like an Everflowing Stream", I mean, it's pretty typical old school styled Swedish death metal, right? But I must say, more than 10 years down the line, and about four years since their last record, they've still got a fucking great knack for writing this stuff, and I like this record a lot. They've got the classic Sunlight styled sound happening (granted they didn't record there, and this is a slightly different take on that tone), the songs are of suitable lengths and blend sheer aggression with tactful melody, there are a lot of tempo variations from classic speeds to awesome midpaced riffs and slower, more plodding rhythms (see "Me-God"), etc. And just check out the fucking amazing dual guitar harmonies in "Tragedy of the Faithful"! I'm talking total Iron Maiden worship! Fuck yeah! Upon the first few listens the recording sounded a little strange to me, but I've since grown fairly accustomed to it. The guitar tone has a lot of midrange in it, so aside from the leads there's not always a great deal of definition, which also drowns out some of the bass and drums, but the vocals sound good, and overall I do like the sound a lot. Somehow working more crunch into the guitars and letting the bass breathe would be nice, but I'm not complaining. The layout's not bad, I could deal with a better looking font, but fuck that, because all I have to say, and all that matters, is that Dan fucking Seagrave did the cover painting! I worship Dan Seagrave and death metal record covers have taken a huge beating since he seemingly sort of slipped out of the spotlight after doing every fucking incredible record cover known to the genre in the early- to mid-90's. It's so good to see his classic styled work in action again! As far as death metal goes, I think these lyrics are far above average as well. "The sands of time are slipping through your fingers, Life's bitter journey towards the end, Your time has come, pass the threshold and beyond, With a conscience cold, as the coins upon your eyes, Wear the flesh of fallen angels, Leave your earthly form behind..." Longtime fans of the band/this style won't be too surprised by this at all, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It's definitely not a total repeat of their past work, but their roots are still firmly intact. Rock. (7/10)
Running time - 38:07, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Forged With Hate, Chasing the Serpent, As I Pull the Trigger]
Karmageddon Media - http://www.karmageddonmedia.com

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