Monday, April 20, 2009

Indonesian Brutality Promos Vol. 1

Fleshvomit blasts through their promo with gusto. While I like their general style, I found a lot of the two songs entirely forgettable. I admit to not being a huge brutal death metal fan, but I can tell that these guys show promise and have a lot of passion in their music. The vocals are indecipherable but not a vomiting (as their name suggests) grunting monstrosity and the guitars incredibly heavy with loads of bass frequencies. I do wish I could hear a bit more of the bass tone but, with such massive guitars, the bass is dubbed obsolete. First song "Sadism Killer" is an easily enjoyable though easily forgettable song. The poppy, slightly tinny snare sound and ultra mesmerizing drum groove is captured on second track "Murder of Mutilation." Complete with twisted riffs and a variety of drum styles, moments of this track remind of Iniquity's Grime. Easily the best track of the two as well as being the strongest track of all the Indonesian Brutality Promos. I will definitely grab a copy of their full length when it is released. Though there are only two songs, it is easy to guess where these guys will be in a few years should they keep this style up. Fans of Iniquity, Suffocation, Immolation and any follower of the early round of Brutal Death metal fans should eat this up and clean the plate.

Katarak's moment to shine is less intriguing and original. The guitars are rustier during their tremolo moments and somewhat fuzzed over during the chugging moments. Still, the release captures an intensity similar to the Fleshvomit promo though not as veteran sounding. Opening track "Sadistic Hymns of Sacrificial Ceremony" is all over the place with wild guitar lines and spurts of interesting riffs but lacks a cohesive structure. "Overdose Is Suicide" blasts into a weird pulsing riff highlighting the tightness of the band though the simple and unemotional drumming seems to pull the track down. It could be the fact that it is buried in the mix, but its difficult to hear that the drummer has fallen into the beat of the song. Closer "Brutal Massacre of the Witcher" is a more mid paced thrashing Brutal Death Metal style with moments of intense blasting. Closing riff is twisted genius though I wish the band stuck to it a little more instead of going off in an unfocused combination of tremelo musings. Once again, the track fails to appeal structurally though with more of those weird pulsing riffs, Katarak still manages to leave an impression.

Indonesia's Destroy are more content writing short songs in the style of a wild boar attacking a twelve watt cheap amplifier. Ultimately, I found their promo to be the worst of all them. Nothing lasted long enough or sounded brutal enough compared to the other releases. Though they have the lowest grunting vocalist, coupled with the monstrously terrible production and bland songs, I fail to find any interest. "Primitive Insane" actually sounds like a recording of someone blowing bubbles in their milk while listening to the neighborhood gore-grind fanatic driving down the street. Even funnier is you can hear where the song was patched together in who knows what digital editing software (right after the first bass fill). The tinny snare sound in closer "Born To Grind Your Mind" sounds like someone inexperienced recording Lars' kit during the St. Anger sessions... Cool artwork though horrid music.

Bleeding Flesh play a style similar to both Katarak and Fleshvomit though with more blasting, less memorability and a brutally indecipherable complexity which actually makes me question whether these guys actually wrote anything in the first place. I had a friend who would say "Hey man, play this..." and then he would start jamming out riffs which he wrote on the spot. This is the same thing to my ears. Bleeding Flesh occasionally fall into a good beat, groove or idea though it usually ends sooner than I can actually take in what is going on. Maybe though, that's their point.

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