1. The Mysteries of the Worm Part I
2. The Mysteries of the Worm Part II
3. Beyond Human Comprehension
4. Universal Devourer
5. Awaiting Awakening Again
6. The Morbid Mass of Swarming Entities
7. The Tentacles Through Time
8. Tattooed Skin Map
Comment:
2nd album of this band formed by Dave Rotten (AVULSED) & Rogga (PAGANIZER). Fucking heavy, dark & putrid old school Death Metal in the vein of INCANTATION, ROTTREVORE, IMMOLATION, FUNEBRE, DETERIOROT, old GRAVE, FUNEBRARUM, DEAD CONGREGATION...
Rogga Johansson scheint zu viel Freizeit zu haben. Anders kann ich mir nicht erklären, wie er seine tausend Bands Revolting, Paganizer, Ribspreader, Bone Gnawer, The Grotesquery und wie sie alle heißen, unter einen Hut bringen kann. Doch ich muss auch gleichermaßen zugeben: So recht verstehe ich den Hype um den Tausendsasser nicht. Klar, er produziert viel Output, aber darunter befindet sich auch viel Füllmaterial, wo sich der omnipräsente Gitarrist selber wiederholt. Teilweise nur innerhalb eines Albums einer Band, teilweise hört man aber auch übergreifend die Handschrift des Musikers heraus.
Bei PUTREVORE mag vor allen Dingen die Herangehensweise an die Songs Johanssons deutliche Prägung enthalten. Dennoch unterscheidet sich “Macabre Kingdom” etwas von seinen anderen Projekten. Vielleicht liegt es auch an der Färbung durch Dave Rotten von Avulsed, der hier seine grottentiefen Vocals beisteuert. Auf jeden Fall avanciert PUTREVORE mit ihrem zweiten Album direkt zu meinem Lieblingsprojekt vom ollen Rogga, nachdem mich die letzte Revolting etwas gelangweilt hat.
Natürlich sind die neun Lieder auf “Macabre Kingdom” ziemlich reduziert. In den Songaufbauten erkennt man deutlich die bereits erwähnte Denkweise Johanssons. Doch stellt hier gerade dieses stumpfe und ultraminimalistische Arbeit die Stärke von PUTREVORE dar. Irgendwo zwischen Rottrevore, frühen Incantation und vielleicht ein wenig Abhorrence (Fin) / Funebre zu Demozeiten, ist dieses ungeschönte, dreckige Geschepper ein dicker Mittelfinger an alle Trendwellenreiter, die den hippen Oldschool-Death Metal mit sauberen Produktionen und eingängien Melodien garnieren. Fuck You! Die Gitarren sind matschig, der Bass knurrt verzerrt im Hintergrund, die Becken scheppern unschön aus dem Klangbrei heraus. Es ist Low-Fi in Reinkultur.
“Macabre Kingdom” ist downtuned and morbid, in seinen düsteren Harmonien nahe am finnischen Death Metal. Gelegentlich mit Keyboards und richtig schwer doomigen Momenten garniert, ist die Grundstimmung schön finster. Die Brutalität bleibt aber – dank der eingekochten Riffs – nie auf der Strecke. Im Gegenteil, “Tattooed Skin Map” oder “The Morbid Mass Of Swaming Entities” haben sogar dermaßen derbe und brachiale Midtempo-Passagen, dass heutige Devourment wie Weichspüler aussehen. Kein Slam, kein Beatdown, nur rohe Death Metal Gewalt!
Für Feingeister sind PUTREVORE also nichts. Und auch für den Dauerkonsum der 37 Minuten, ist “Macabre Kingdom” sicher etwas zu monoton. Aber als Zwischenmahlzeit, hat die Scheibe auf jeden Fall angenehm plumpen Unterhaltungsfaktor. Und mit “Awaiting Awakening Again“, “Universal Devourer” und “Tattooed Skin Map“, sind sogar richtig kleine Hits auf dem Album. Mein nächstes Schnitzel wird nicht mit dem Hammer, sondern mit diesem Album breit gekloppt!
Yet another band by Rogga Johansson, I was all prepared for another round of old school Swedish death metal onslaught with Putrevore‘s sophomore full length release, Macabre Kingdom, considering the stylistics that Rogga’s other bands such as Revolting, Humanity Delete and Megascavenger have displayed over the last year, with each providing some slight variation of the Swedish death metal style.
So I have to admit, when Putrevore threw the first tracks of Macabre Kingdom at me, I was pleasantly surprised indeed, with the band instead choosing a sound that leans more towards their Finnish counterparts rather than the usual Swedish sound that Rogga has come to be known for. The instrumentations on Macabre Kingdom are crushing as fuck, complemented by an equally suffocating atmosphere. The Incantation-inspired style of death metal that the band presents right from the start with The Mysteries of the Worm Part I immediately brings about comparisons to bands such as Rottrevore. Rogga’s heavy usage of trem-picked segments throughout the album also ensures that fans of Incantation and Dead Congregation are hooked quickly from the start. The Finnish comparison is all the more so with the throaty vocals of Dave Rotten, not unlike the disturbing style of Demilich.
The entire release is a slab of chaos, from the frantic riffs of Rogga and the thundering vocals of Dave, to the drumming of Brynjar, and the savageness that is contained on the album at times reminds one of bands such as Abhorrence and Archgoat and their blackened, blasphemous onslaught. The blackened and somewhat experimental moments in the usage of haunting lead guitars also send chills down the listener’s back, and moments such as towards the end of Universal Devourer some slight similarities to bands like Portal and the less-weird Impetuous Ritual could be spotted.
At the same time, there is still that slight Swedish sound that Rogga brings in, and this especially so with the haunting melodies that are presented through the lead guitars, such as on the beginning of Beyond Human Comprehension, but that’s as far as it goes in terms of Swedish death metal influences.
To top off the already abrasive and crushing listening experience, the production on Macabre Kingdom is raw as fuck, with the guitars feeling like a cheese grater on the listener’s ears. The high mix of the drums on the album also enables it to really punish the listener mercilessly, leaving the listener buried under a wall of noise as each of the instruments fight to grab the attention of the listener.
With Macabre Kingdom, Putrevore has displayed their high level of knowledge in the old school (all the more so with Dave Rotten being the man behind Xtreem Music) and musicianship. Death metal releases that boast crushing heaviness are extremely common these days, but few boast the intensity that Putrevore has managed to put out, leaving one craving for more as soon as the album ends.
Please excuse if I’m not overwhelmed by ecstasy when Rogga Johansson is part of any kind of project since even though REVOLTING, PAGANIZER, THE GROTESQUERY, RIBSPREADER, BONE GNAWER etc. are definitely most of the time highly enjoyable and reliable deliverers of straight forward Death Metal, the amount of output he tends to throw at us produces not only killers but also some fillers in between, thus I can’t hide a certain skepticism when approaching PUTREVORE. BUT – capital letters, three times underlined - AVULSED mastermind and growl-monster extraordinaire Dave Rotten is part of this band, too, and blesses these eight tracks with maximum vocal sickness not unlike the guttural glory of Craig Pillard in his prime. On drums we have Brynjar Helgetun if I’m not mistaken who is also close with Rogga and while not getting all the way jazzy (God forbid!!!!) ensures blasts and grooves are well in place to rhythmically round off this mix between ROTTREVORE, early INCANTATION, old FUNEBRE and GRAVE. While I find the blasted sections somewhat unspectacular due to some not more than solid riffs lying underneath, the groovier sections sport a punishing HELLHAMMER/ CELTIC FROST inspired heaviness and allow Dave to really shine in the vocal department thus a slower number like 'Awaiting Awakening Again' is definitely among my faves on this record. Also, PUTREVORE slay when adding a certain melodic flavor in some guitar passages (e.g. 'Beyond Human Comprehension') resulting in a captivating sinister atmosphere and the closing 'Tattooed Skin Map' is also a fine example on how well the duo can work out some catchy hooks despite all the murky, funereal brutality. Compared to the debut “Morphed From Deadbreath”, PUTREVORE’s second exhumation, sounds way more refined, convincingly arranged and totally crushing. If you loved the fabulous DISMA album you will find loads of pleasure when entering the “Macabre Kingdom”. Very well done, you rotten bros!
Putrevore, the collaboration project between death metal master minds Rogga Johansson (Demiurg, Bone Gnawer, Paganizer, Revolting) and Dave Rotten (Avulsed, Christ Denied) is back with their second effort "Macabre Kingdom".
Both musicians have their plate full with various other bands/projects so it´s been four years since their first output, 2008´s "Morphed From Deathbreath" (the album title based on the fact that they called themself Deathbreath from 2004-2007).
Their musikal direction is of course pure unrelenting death metal in the veins of the old school formula. Deep and murky vocal based on simple but effective arrangements that are quite catchy and melodic. The production is top notch with all instruments prominent in the mix. The dark sound really fit´s the slower riff parts very well and again, the vocal fits those parts just perfect.
"Macabre Kingdom" contains nine tracks with just the kind of death metal I know you like. Recommended!
Ilość projektów, w których macza palce Rogga Johansson już chyba nikogo nie dziwi. Podziwiam to, że ten szwedzki muzyk jeszcze się nie pogubił w tym wszystkim i zasadniczo dostarcza rzeczy utrzymane na wysokim poziomie. Nie inaczej jest w przypadku jego kolaboracji z Dave’m Rotten z AVULSED, a drugi wspólny album nagrany pod szyldem PUTREVORE pt. „Macabre Kingdom” to kolejny dosadny przykład, że death metal płynie w krwi obu tych gości. Wokale i teksty są oczywiście autorstwa Rottena, podczas gdy za całą muzykę odpowiada Rogga i już wiadomo, że obaj, lubujący się nadzwyczaj silnie w staroszkolnym deciorze, na tym krążku pokazali po raz kolejny, że w 20 lat po eksplozji takiego grania nadal można nagrywać przykuwający ucho kawał szlachetnego młócenia. Nie ukrywają tutaj ani trochę swojej fascynacji skandynawskim, pokręconym i ciężkim graniem w stylu wczesnego GRAVE, FUNEBRE czy DEMIGOD, a także równie grobowym grzańskiem zza Oceanu i w tym miejscu można przywołać takie nazwy, jak INCANTATION, IMMOLATION, DETERIOROT, ROTTREVORE czy MORPHEUS DESCENDS. Z tej mieszaniny wyszła muza gęsta od gitarowych riffów, wymykających się schematom zagrywkom Mr Johanssona, kaleczących ucho krótkich solówek i chorych growli z akcentującą to wszystko w odpowiedni sposób perkusją oraz mistycznymi partiami klawiszy w tle, dodającymi całości odpowiedniej zgnilizny. Przoduje w tym druga część „The Mysteries of the Worm”, która umiejętne żongluje szybkością, ciężarem i mrokiem. Chwilami robi się w tym numerze wręcz black metalowo, ale bez obaw - „Macabre Kingdom” to pozycja przesycona przede wszystkim klasycznym spojrzeniem na death metal oraz niewątpliwym indywidualizmem obu osobników odpowiadających za ten materiał. Ich pasja i uwielbienie takich, a nie innych dźwięków są tutaj wyczuwalne tak silnie, że zaprocentowało to rzeczą może nie wybitną, ale naturalną, szczerą i bezkompromisową. Warto jeszcze dodać, że zanim materiał ukazał się na nośniku CD był dostępny przez kilka dobrych miesięcy wyłącznie w formacie winylowym i z tego co mi wiadomo, sprzedaż była zaskakująco dobra.
Roger “Rogga” Johansson was involved in more bands last year than I can keep track of, and his fast pace resulted in efforts of varying quality. Putrevore’s sophomore effort Macabre Kingdom is easily one of the best though, as this project finds Johansson teaming up with Avulsed vocalist Dave Rotten and upping the intensity to its highest possible level. The riffs on this effort hit hard, and this is one of the few death metal releases in recent memory where each song has moments that stand out.
Macabre Kingdom makes an immediate impression, as its opening song “The Mysteries of the Worm Part I” hits the listener with the force of a freight train and doesn’t let up on its assault for the entirety of the track. This is truly immense death metal, but unlike the other bands that have used this type of dense style in recent months Putrevore does not use it for mere Incantation worship. There are definitely some Incantation style moments that pop up, but the overall sound that the group goes for pulls from so many different death metal elements that they never feel like a clone of any one act. Listeners will find that there is a lot happening on each song as the instrumentals will frequently unleash a full-on assault before transitioning into some slower grooves and even when things slow down a bit the heavy tonality ensures the material still sounds absolutely devastating. Although each of the nine tracks does follow a similar structure, the guitar leads on each one are distinguishable from one another and I found that the entire effort was able to keep me interested rather than just a few key songs. These are easily some of the strongest riffs Johansson has composed in the past year, and along with the thick sound it makes Macabre Kingdom an effort with plenty of staying power.
While the quality of the riffs can make or break a death metal album, so can the vocals. Chances are you familiar with Dave Rotten’s work in Avulsed to some extent though, and the good news is that his performance on this release is just as strong. Rotten takes on an extremely low pitched growl that just barely tops the wall of instrumental sound, but there are sections where he is able to break free of the noise and tower over the material. This style of vocals may be the norm for death metal, but they hit such low ranges and reverberate over the riffs in a way that sometimes sounds genuinely otherworldly and this is something that not every genre singer can pull off. The performance remains intense for the entire release, and despite the fact that the pitch stays at the same general level it never became repetitive or grating.
I picked up on this one a bit late as it came out in the summer on vinyl and November on CD, but Macabre Kingdom is an album worth checking out. While both Johansson and Rotten may be busy with other bands they have managed to put together head crushing death metal that’s full of killer riffs and intense vocals. Putrevore’s the real deal, and while they’ll be sure to remind you of some of the genre’s landmark bands the material never quite sounds exactly like any particular one which ensures you’ll want to return to listen to these tracks.
I’m not one to be blinded by the star potential of a band but this is probably as close to a death metal dream team you’ll get on the Xtreem Music label. With Dave Rotten (label boss and vocalist for Avulsed) and Rogga (PAGANIZER/ RIBSPREADER and what Swedish bands has he not be involved with) Putrevore is a massive slab of death metal. This is the take-no-prisoner kind of death metal that is so liberating. You don’t have to think too much listening to this. You just have to clear your head and totally enjoy it for what it is. This is the kind of rotten, murky death metal that. After one session with this album you feel like you’ve been in the ring with Mike Tyson. This is full contact death metal.
Jsem zasypán lavinou z kamení. Zaklíněn uprostřed masy dávné horniny. Nemůžu dýchat a třeští mi hlava. Mám asi i něco zlomeného. PUTREVORE mě smetli svými masívními riffy již při prvním poslechu. Jejich pure death metal je ryzí a upřímný jako čerstvý vzduch na horách. Na nic si nehrají. Rovnou to do vás nasypou. Lavina ničící vše živé i neživé. Je to jako rána do palice. Chvíli uvidíte světýlka. Pak se oklepete a na tváři se vám rozlije blažený úsměv. Tohle je death metal!
Tentokrát se nezmar Rogga spojil se Španělem Davem Rottenem z Avulsed. Rozhodli se již podruhé, že se s námi nebudou párat a že to do nás nahrnou bez slitování. Jsem absolutně nadšený ze zvuku alba. Také obal není k zahození. Myslím, že na tričku by se mohl velice dobře vyjímat. Jsem majitelem promo cd od Xtreem Music. Album vyšlo zatím jen na LP. Cd nosič by měl být oficiálně lisován a prodáván do konce tohoto roku.
Padající kameny. Smršť bicích. Kvílící kytara. Rogga se opět překonává. První náklep na desce je The Mysteries of the Worm Part I. Na chvilku zavzpomínáte na staré dobré Immolation, Grave, Incantation, Funebre apod. Putrevore vás nenechají na chvilku vydechnout. The Mysteries of the Worm Part II. Pokračování laviny. Nic je nemůže zastavit. Dave má chraplák, který se jen tak neslyší. Beyond Human Comprehension. Úvodní kytarové sólo a pak sekavý rytmus. Ocitáte se na začátku 90tých let. Hněte vás to jako stará pračka Tatramatka. Universal Devourer. Na chvilku se Rogga rozpomene na svoje švédské kořeny. Tohle je opravdu smrtící koktejl. Napijte se plnými doušky, po tomhle nápoji neoslepnete. Ale hlava vás bude bolet jako po opici. Pokud jste zarytí old schooláci a při slově metalcore dostáváte kopřivku, budete ve svém živlu. Awaiting Awakening Again. Chvilkové zklidnění
a pak další smrtící riff. Je to jako práce v kamenolomu. Těžká, smradlavá. Rozbíjíte kameny, které jsou po téhle lavině všude kolem. The Morbid Mass of Swarming Entities. V této písni mě uzemnil Dave. To snad ani není hlas člověka. Spíše raněný zvíře. Monstrum zavřené v kleci, které každou chvíli roztrhne mříže. Dejte mi do ruky palici! Mám ještě nějakou práci. Ten zvuk mě vybízí, abych dnešní rozbíjení kamenů dokončil s chutí profesionála a rekordním čase. The Tentacles Through Time. Moje nejoblíbenější píseň. Pohupuju se v kolenou a rozbíjím kameny. Hlavu mám čistou. Naběhlé žíly na čele, ale úsměv na tváři. Až death´n ´rollový rytmus. Tattooed Skin Map. Poslední song je stejně ničivý jako všechny ostatní. Kameny se valí dál. Tuhle lavinu nezastavíte. Není úniku.
Vychutnávám si nové album Macabre Kingdom již několik dní. Bývám po poslechu poměrně znavený. Nevydržím totiž v klidu. Takto zahraný death metal je přesně moje krevní skupina. Špinavý, drsný, nespoutaný. Žádné zbytečnosti. Je to od začátku jako první rána sekyrou mistra řezníka, když půlí prase. Na této desce se chopili nástrojů mistři a je to hodně znát. Sice neotočí hudební dějiny o 180 stupňů, ale je to stará dobrá poctivá práce. PUTREVORE rules!
Bei dem Namen Putrevore dürften eingefleischte Brutalo Death Metal Freaks mit der ranzigen Zunge schnalzen. Die Besetzung setzt sich nämlich aus niemand geringeren als Dave Rotten (Christ Denied, Avulsed) und Rogga Johansson (Ribspreader) zusammen. Keine Ahnung, in wie viel Projekten dieser nimmersatte Kerl seine Finger im Spiel hat, aber Putrevore dürfte wohl mit zu den heftigsten zählen. Hier kann logischerweise eigentlich auch nur ein brutales Geschoss das Resultat sein, also gibt es entsprechend auch einen fetten Schlag in die Kauleiste!
Der wuchtige Opener drischt sodann mit ordentlicher Vehemenz hervor, birgt aber ebenso auch Grooveansätze, wie auch schneidendes Riffing. Dazu lässt sich schönes Gegurgel als Sprachersatz ausmachen und interessante Gitarrenspiele sind ebenso mit von der Partie.
Aber auch wenn da die Axt mitunter das Geschehen dominiert, so sind auch zähe Momente in dem wilden Treiben auszumachen. Dies täuscht dennoch keinesfalls darüber hinweg, dass Putrevore mit “Macabre Kingdom” abermals eine kernige Portion Todesblei rauskotzen. So wird das Wutlevel bei Ausbrüchen wie “Beyond Human Comprehension” oder “The Tentacles Through Time” ziemlich in die Höhe geschraubt und das man es aber dennoch schafft, das Geschehen immer wieder etwas aufzulockern, zeigt auf, dass hier zwei fraglos begnadete Musiker am Lärmen sind.
“Macabre Kingdom” hat im Grunde genommen eigentlich alles, was ein extremes Death Metal Album braucht. Und dennoch kann ich es mir nicht verkneifen, das gerade im letzten Bereich ruhig mehr Abwechslung gut gekommen wäre. Etwas anstrengend ist dieses Bollwerk schon und so sollten beim nächsten Massaker ruhig ein paar auflockernde Momente eingebracht werden. Wen dies nicht weiter stört, der sollte seine morschen Knochen unbedingt nach diesem heftigen Gewitter ausstrecken, den amtlich was auf die Glocken gibt es hier allemal. Die Inspiration liegt fraglos in den frühen 90′ern, und Verehrer solcher Rabauken wie Incantation, Rottrevore oder Funebrarum werden ihre Offenbarung finden.
Fett, brutal und kompromisslos- so präsentieren sich Putrevore!
Late in 2010, I discovered Putrevore's debut album Morphed From Deadbreath, and it was love at fist listen. Tearing itself from the primordial ooze, drenched in slime and embryonic diffuse, Morphed From Deadbreath was a Precambrian beast to be feared. Firmly entrenched in the Rottrevore school of down-tuned, gut-bucket brutality, it was a worship album that felt more like an extension of the sound than mere imitation. Rogga Johansson and Dave Rotten, two titans in their own right, had created the single most impressive love-letters to a sadly under-utilized sound I've ever had the pleasure of being skull-fucked by, and it left me wanting more.
But like all primeval, primordial beasts, evolution must take it's course. Since we last left Putrevore stewing in a pit of bile and muck, much has changed: the claws have become sharper, the teeth more serrated, the hunting techniques more advanced. Macabre Kingdom is the definition of a nightmarish predator: massive and hulking indeed, but also in possession of a frightful, instinctual intelligence that sends shivers down one's spine. Rogga and Rotten have brought their collective experience to the project, writing songs which offer a more diverse pallet of Old-School sensibilities and good ol' American brutality(not bad for a Swede and a Spaniard) than Morphed From Deadbreath. Rottrevore's trademark sound, revisionist Swedish Death Metal cut free of cheese-tastic melody and guitars tuned to "Black Hole" mixed with strong Proto-Brutal Death Metal elements, remains the core of Putrevore's sound and Macabre Kingdom's devastating assault. But the two opening tracks, "Mysteries of the Worm Part I and II," give clear indication that this is not more of the same. Rogga brings his patented Swedish Death Metal vibe to the entire package, but shows a strong understanding of the material by never over-doing it: melody slinks below the torrential riff storms and Rotten's incredible guttural vocal assault, and occasional guitar solos add more to the material than detract from it. Also present is a healthy dose of Incantation style tremolo picking and Doom-laden devastation, perhaps a bit token for the current era of Death Metal, but executed beautifully here.
That would be more than enough innovation for any band from one album to the next, but Rogga and Rotten must not have been content with even that, and sought to push Putrevore's sound further into new directions. "Mysteries of the Worm Part II" fit's right in with the modern Occult Death Metal scene, featuring atmospheric keyboards and dark, serpentine riffs that would give Antediluvian nightmares, while "Awaiting Awakening Again" grooves and rumbles like Bolt Thrower and Grave after blowing through two thirty-packs. Macabre Kingdom doesn't really maintain a consistent tone throughout the album, and instead goes for an all-encompassing view of Death Metal as a whole; it's past and it's present. There really is something here for everyone, and the fact that Rogga and Rotten can keep the whole album focused and utterly uncompromising over all eight tracks is a monumental achievement. Rogga has always been known as a "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" kind of guy through his various SwedDeath worship acts, but Macabre Kingdom feels like a coming out party for the gifted guitarist: he deftly and expertly dances between styles and riffs with impressive dexterity and real understanding of the material and the sound. I never would have guessed that a Putrevore album would be Rogga's most impressive and multifaceted performance, but that's exactly what has happened. As for Rotten, there is little to be said: this is arguably the most impressive guttural vocal performance on an album since Antti Boman first blew the world's collective dome with his inhuman vocalizations on Nespithe.
I can't imagine Putrevore will remain in the periphery of Death Metal any longer with this release. Morphed From Deadbreath was brilliant but very niche, as only hardcore fans of the already generally obscure Rottrevore would get much from it. Macabre Kingdom is truly an appropriate title: the vast appeal of this album will, if justice be served, crown Putrevore as one of the best projects the modern Death Metal scene has to offer. May they rule with an iron, gory fist.
We've been so spoiled with great old school death metal these past few years that it's felt as if there were a carnage strewn Christmas taking place at least once per week, but fuck if I'm going to complain about it. Is it trendy? Sure. Has much of it amounted to anything more than a tribute to the forebears of the early 90s? Indeed. Does Putrevore's sophomore album still kick ass? Yes, yes it does, and in a year that's brought me such gifts as the Horrendous debut and Necrovation's self-titled sophomore, I just don't know if I can bear any more of this level of awesome without imploding. And yet here it stands, a ghastly monolith, the second full-length collaboration between Dave Rotten of Avulsed, Repulse Records and Xtreem Music, and the inimical Roger Johansson of Sweden.
Yes, somewhere between recording his other thirty-eight death metal projects this year, Rogga found the time to compose and release what might just be the best album in either of these guys' careers so far, a pummeling and enormously wretched paean to the age of Incantation and Rottrevore, smeared with a bloody reduction of churning Bolt Thrower brutality, muscular Pestilence death/thrashing grooves, a few Hellhammer or Obituary styled chord progressions (as in the bridge of "Awaiting Awakening Again") and other techniques of old. But I don't want to sell Macabre Kingdom short (if you could call such comparisons 'short'). This does not at all sound like a clone of any one particular group, it's another of those records that proudly wreathes its influences in the production capabilities of the current era, and thus it achieves a dense, abysmal grandeur that might not have been possible were it released back in the heyday of the style. Let's just admit it: the niche of crushing, atmospheric death metal was never quite so popular as it is right now, and Macabre Kingdom is hands down one of the best of the bunch, far more effective and memorable in my estimation than other, heavier hyped records like Disma's debut Towards the Megalith last year.
This is due in no small part to the Cyclopean production values on exhibition. The guitars are raw, potent and absolutely furious, both in the slower, grooving context and the floods of choppy, blasting viscera that help offset any possible sense of rigor mortis from ever infesting the listener's newly slain corpse. Whether they break out an airy, eerie squeal or a massive octave chord in a breakdown, it all translates evenly onto the album's rictus death mask. Though most of the guitars are simplistic in structure, some of the faster passages have a few flights of complex death/thrash guitar patterns that always attract the ear, or clinical, evil tremolo melodies and sinister, sluggish solos. The riffs do occasionally feel familiar, but they're nonetheless entrancing in their undiluted hostility, and the album's relative brevity (about 35 minutes) ensures that it repeatedly feels blistering and fresh. The bass is deep and ruddy; and new drummer Brynjar Helgetun, who has worked with Rogga in other projects like Ribspreader, The Grotesquery and Those Who Bring the Torture settles in nicely to the alternating matrix of blasted momentum and leaden, sparser steroid grooves.
But props really have to go out to Dave Rotten here, who takes this Craig Pillard-like inflection to great heights, resonating out over the album's underworld atmosphere far more effectively than most of the other cavern-core front men you've heard lately. The Spaniard sounds fucking monstrous. If only this guy had voiced the Balrog in the mines of Moria, Gandalf would have pissed his robes, and the Fellowship would have been fucked. Voluminous, rumbling sustain creeps into the longer intonations, and though one might mistake the actual notation as monotonous, it sends crackles up the listener's spine as if he was standing on seismic disturbance. Perhaps it isn't the deepest or lowest pitch in this particular niche, but still found myself erupting in laughter...nervous laughter. Fear.
I was already a fan of this outfit since they released Morphed from Deadbreath in 2008, but as good as that debut was, it was a mere finger-frank appetizer wrapped in bacon compared to this swollen sausage meal of blood, grime, guts and hellfire. Juanjo Castellano's cover artwork is excellent, a ghoulish fiend with huge claws upon a throne of spines and bones, almost looking as if he's watching some damned jester dance before him. Putrevore excels in just about every category here, and while admittedly not the most innovative or unique record I've heard lately, it's for sure one of the highlights of 2012. A sometimes lumbering, something bursting necrotic juggernaut siphoning off the souls of the innocent. Rrrraaarggghh...fucking die!
Nueva edición de uno de los tantos proyectos (Christ Denied, Yskelgroth, Unwom, Putrevore, Anaemia, Golgotha) en los que el conocido Dave Rotten se ha involucrado y ha plasmado su ya característica voz. El cantante de Avulsed se ha puesto de nuevo a disposición de Rogga Johansson (Paganizer) y tras cuatro años de espera, la suma de fuerzas junto con el eficaz trabajo del batería de sesión Brynjar Helgetu, ha dado como resultado esta áspera y pesada roca de grabación editada en vinilo por Xtreem Music.
Este nuevo álbum supone una continuación estilística respecto a su primera grabación “Morphed from Deadbreath”. Lo que encontramos en este vinilo es puro Death Metal oscuro y brutal, que no Brutal Death. Las referencias que destilan están claramente influenciadas por el Death Finlandés de grupos tan conocidos como Adramelech, Demilich o Funebre, sin olvidar por supuesto a los inmensos Incantation.
A diferencia que el anterior trabajo, todo suena mejor. Las guitarras que antes sonaban algo sobre-saturadas, como si tuviesen una distorsión mala, aquí suenan mucho mas ajustadas del mismo modo que la batería también, suena mucho mejor; lo que en su conjunto y suponemos que con una mejor labor de mezcla y masterización, consigue superar con creces el impacto auditivo de su predecesor.
Precisamente una de las grandes ventajas con las que cuenta Putrevore es que desde el primer momento, y desde su propia presentación, alegan que no inventan nada y que su principal aspiración es la de recrear el espíritu del Metal Muerto mas cafre, denso y cavernoso. Y por eso mismo, por no jugar a la experimentación pretenciosa ni a reinventar sin criterio, por eso mismo, consiguen de sobra lo que aspiran. El trabajo aquí revisado suma, y con nota alta. Y ya se sabe que, lo que no suma, resta. Pues este desde luego, no es de los que restan.
El proceso de elaboración de “Macabre Kingdom” ha sido de lo mas cosmopolita; guitarras y bajo grabadas en Gamleby (Suecia), baterías en Trondheim (Noruega), voces en Guadalajara (España) y mezclado y masterizado en Denver, Colorado (USA). En lo que respecta a los temas destaca la inclusión de oscuros y atmosféricos teclados en “The mysteries of the worm part II”, la inquietante melodía de inicio de “Beyond human comprehension” y el tempo a lo Bolthrower que mantiene a veces el tema “Awaiting awakening again”.
No podemos terminar sin citar la excelente portada obra de Juanjo Castellano (autor de covers de AVENGER, VOMITORY, ASMODEUS, INCANTATION, DROWNING, SATHANAS, RESURRECTED...) quien va camino de convertirse en el Chris Moyen de estos lares. Acertado trabajo pictórico que en la versión vinilo gracias al tamaño de la carpeta, cobra una especial importancia.
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