Friday, February 13, 2015

Album Review: "Graveyard of Eden" by Dehuman

Graveyard of Eden
Today we're looking at the Belgium's Dehuman's sophomore album.

I'm not going to mention waffles. I'm also not going to mention what I really think of Dubbels, Tripels, and Quadrupels.

I'm only going to talk about death metal.

Their debut, Black Throne of All Creation, came out three years ago and spawned several tours with some major acts.

Kaotoxin is releasing their follow up and it's a very unique piece of music.

Formed in 2006, this quartet from Brussels has only undergone one member swap in the past nine years. Only the man behind the drums has changed. However, he was on the first album, so no changes since last they spoke.

Dehuman
This album is very interesting. I'm not one to wax poetic about the subgenres of metal, especially the extreme metal ones, but this album is different.

It doesn't fit into a scene. It stands out in its own unique way.

There is a strong, at least vocal, influence from early death metal bands, and I'm most reminded of Paul Speckmann from Master.

The guitar sound is very unlike any other extreme metal band I've ever heard.

In a word, I'd describe it as sludgy, but not sloppy. It's very technically precise, but sounds like something Tony Iommi would cook up. Aside from the standard issue power chord progressions, there are some staccato riffs that stick out as very nimbly played.

The lead breaks follow a similar path. Though not up to the technical level of a Bill Steer, the melodies are hauntingly morose as well as angry. Again, they're expertly played, written, and performed.

There are blast beats, but unlike bands like Morbid Angel, there's no heavy reliance on them to create their sound. This album follows a flow and there are peaks and valleys.

If you took this new metal, like Black Dahlia Murder, and combined that with classic death metal like Master or Death, and shook it and shook it...that would be a good start as to where Dehuman is coming from.

Release: 3/9/15
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Kaotoxin Records
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