Not bad. I hadn't ever heard of this French band before, but this is some competent death/thrash with a good amount of forceful tempo changes, chunky midpaced rhythms that sometimes lean towards a little bit of a groove, and nice growling vocals with occasional snarls that have a lot more character than most (imagine a mix between classic Deicide and Sepultura, vocally). Highly impressive, though, are the fucking guitar solos! These guys seem to be among the few bands out there that are actually taking their time to construct really solid and coherent solos that work well with the songs, much like metal bands did in the days of old, so I'm all for that. The solos aren't the only throwback to classic thrash, though. Thankfully plenty of the rhythms are dead on for that whole style - just check out the intro to "Censored Project" for a great example. Much of the death metal riffing comes in the form of speedy tremolo picking riffs, but despite not being the most interesting aspects of the songwriting they do fit in nicely and at times effectively add a good sense of energy. It's the thrashier playing that hits harder though, whether it falls in the classic vein or leads in more of a modern direction. The title track is a little more consistently midpaced and has some dissonant chords that are quite cool, but at barely under seven minutes it does kind of drag on and gets stale at certain points. It's the more winding note-based riffs that throw in a little bit of twisted discordance that I really stand behind (such as those during the verse in "Reversed World" and at the tail end of "Blasphemy"), I only wish the songs that used such playing were a bit stronger overall, as some of the less interesting rhythm performances, while never particularly bad, can kill the force a bit. "Trapped Into Life" is among the heavier tracks, and one of my favorites, with its unrelentingly thick rhythms and quick rhythmic shifts definitely popping out. The recording needs a little work but is definitely heavy and effective. I think the drums are too rigid and the guitar tone has a midrange sheen that kind of deadens some of the impact, but everything else is fine. I like that the bass adds density and also makes itself known when possible, the mix keeps the tautness of the percussion in line, and the vocals aren't overpowering or anything. Plus the guitars are crunchy regardless, so I'm not really bothered. The layout looks very nice on this one, with a consistent style and crisp text. The imagery all revolves around blood spattered concrete and mental patients with bleak looking shots of empty rooms, as well as some medical diagrams and such. Much of lyrical content deals with this violent medical type of imagery as well, though I'm not really intrigued by the content per se. "Using of their flesh and blood in excess, To show the world the real benefits of mutilation, Jubilant discovery of mental torture, Control your souls so that you can suffer..." This is indeed a promising effort. I'm already pretty into it, and god damn, I'm telling you, those solos are fuckin' great. I'll look forward to hearing more from the band down the line, because I know they could come up with something even stronger than this.
[Osmose]
Running time - 37:21, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Censored Project, Reversed World, Trapped Into Life]
Osmose Productions - http://www.osmoseproductions.com
