2016 had its fair share of good death metal releases, but honestly, I feel it was lacking in hard nose modern death metal that pushed the edges of the genre while still maintaining that strong old school focus. Turns out, early 2017 has a treat in store…
Beheaded has had several lineup changes over the years, but that has not stopped their charge. Since 1991, Beheaded has been producing death metal/ brutal death metal that has always been a step above. From the island of Malta, this five man team has only released four full length albums, with Beast Incarnate being their fifth, proving quality over quantity. With one of their newest additions being Brutal Dave (Davide Billia) behind the drums, Beast Incarnate takes the band's style of death metal and turns up the brutal voltage to ensure maximum flow of current for brain frying.
From the opening title track "Beast Incarnate", the speed of the twitching guitar riffs leads a static lit trail that the riveting blast beats and churning bass follows through tight structured melodies and guitar solos that focus on a more eerie tone and mood. This refreshing focus rewards the listener with a not so common vibe of dark composition difficult to accomplish for many bands.
One of the highlights of the eight track album is the song "The Black Death", which starts off with the sounds of a creaking ship and ocean being massaged by wind and waves while tethered timbers sway, and wooden bulkheads flex. This sets the tone for a slower paced doom-like brutal death metal song that draws upon its eight minutes to extract the life from the listener through its enchanting riffs and soul-summoning incantations. This track reminded me of a spiritually darker version of Disentomb's "Megaliths of Despair" and Putridity's "Mortifying Carnality".
There is not much wrong with this album, a solid heavy product that digs a little deeper, and shows a little more passion than your average release. It will certainly add some character to your collection.
Score: 7.5/10
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