01. Intro
02. Halls Of Human Tragedy
03. Descend To Eternal Torment
04. Bleeding For Supremacy
05. Suicide, Terrorize
06. I Don’t Care About Your Murder
07. Slain In The Grace Of Thy Name
08. Book Of Flesh
09. Terror Of Thousand Faces
10. Orphica Holodemiurgia
Comment:
Late 80’s and early 90’s was a golden time in Finland where tons of killer Death Metal bands emerged, but unfortunately most of them didn’t last for too long or either changed their style into more “wimpy” stuff.
This is not the case of the mighty ADRAMELECH!! 14 years after their inception, the band unleashed their 3rd album, faster and more brutal than ever!! Always true to their style!! “Terror Of Thousand Faces” includes 10 songs of pure finnish Death Metal full of killer melodies, powerful mid tempos and crazy fast passages.
Any self respected Death Metal fan must have heard of this band before. If not, never is too late!! Authentic old school feeling played by an authentic old school band!!
Powrócił fiński ADRAMELECH. Zresztą nie ma się co dziwić, bo Xtreem Music - ich wydawca ma jobla na punkcie starej fińskiej sceny. Jednakże czy ADRAMELECH gra muzykę z tamtej szkoły, to już sprawa dyskusyjna. Jak dla mnie nie gra, co nie znaczy wcale, iż gra źle. Wręcz przeciwnie, Finowie obrali drogę bluźnierczego i potężnego death metalu, gdzie wyczuwalne są echa skandynawskiej szkoły, ale grają to po swojemu. Wpletli nieco wpływów zza Atlantyku. Nie ważnie to wszystko w sumie, pierdolnięcie mają dobre od samego początku. Do tego zajebiste, siermiężne brzmienie, lekko surowe, z takim muśnięciem starej szwedzkiej szkoły. Po krótkim intrze mamy wysokiej klasy death metal. Ale jak przychodzi numer „Descend To Eternal Torment”, a po nim „Bleeding For Supremacy”, to zaczynają po plerach przysłowiowe ciary biegać! Bania sama zaczyna kiwać się w tą i nazad! Rozwala „Slain In The Grace...”, prosty, wręcz transowy, a jakże uroczy dla każdego lubującego się w takim death metalu! Niezły też jest tytułowy! Wolniejszy motyw w „I Don’t Care..” i niszczący niczym „IVth Crusade” monument „Optica Holodemiurgia” doskonale urozmaicają album! Jest miodnie! Nie ma to jak starzy wyżeracze!
After a long hiatus of six years ADRAMELECH return to the public again and I am glad they did so, as they are one of the few bands still around that have their roots in the classic way of Finnish Death Metal consisting of pure, brutal chords and underlying harmonies in minor keys. The year 2005 sees ADRAMELECH fronted by a new vocalist, Marko Sivennoinen, who sounds more or less similar to Ali Leiniö on the predecessor “Pure Blood Doom” with the exception that he shouts slightly higher, sounding a bit thrashy. The production has been once again done by Mika Haapasalo (of DEMIGOD fame). I must say that this time it took quite some time for me to get into the sound of this album. All details can be heard but I couldn't help to feel that the whole result is a bit thin – especially the guitars. According to the info sheet the guitar tracks had to be re-recorded three times due to unfortunate circumstances… anyway, as I said above this is something you have to get accustomed to – turning up the volume should do the job. The most striking thing about “Terror Of A Thousand Faces” at the first listening session is that it is notably faster and straighter than “Pure Blood Doom” which had quite an amount of midtempo passages and doomy moments that reminded me of BOLT THROWER at times. This time, the Finnish trio doesn't slow down until the sixth track 'I Don't Care About Your Murder' with its dark harmonies and picking, also track number eight, 'Book Of Flesh' fits into that category. Midtempo passages are still present but the overall tempo is faster. Along with that goes the riffing which is a bit less intricate than it used to be. Perhaps the frustrating experiences during the recording found their way into the composition and execution of the songs. I read some reviews in which this record has been compared to MORBID ANGEL but I have to disagree here – there are more blast beats and a slightly straighter riffing approach but ADRAMELECH maintained their very own character. The way the riffs are executed / shredded (especially in the opener 'Halls Of Human Tragedy') may mislead to a Florida – influence but the scales and harmonies prove the opposite. Some bits even recall moments from their “The Fall” demo / MCD which is one of my favourite pieces of Finnish Death Metal. The only real letdown in my opinion is the duration – 29 minutes after six years of absence… but anyway… You can check out an mp3 on the Xtreem Records page: www.xtreemmusic.com, band contact is possible via mail@severemusic.com and a (quite outdated) page is to be found at: www.adramelech.net. Fans of REAL Finnish / Scandinavian Death Metal should risk an ear… the album needs a bit of time to sink in due to the factors mentioned above but it is definitely worth it!
According to the biography, “any self respected Death Metal fan must have heard of this band”. Why, I’m not sure, as their name certainly hasn’t been darting around my neck of the woods. For those who aren’t familiar with Adramelech; they’re a Finnish old school Death Metal band, and were formed in 1991. Maybe it’s just my ignorance, but I’ve always associated Sweden (Stockholm in particular) with the old school Death Metal sound. Apparently the late 80s and early 90s were a golden time for Finland’s Death Metal scene.
Having read that the guitars had to be recorded 3(!!) times (first due to a bad sound, and
secondly because of a hard disk crash), my expectations for this album weren’t exactly high. I was quickly made to eat my thoughts however, the moment “Halls of Human Tragedy” lumbered out; with a very distinct and slightly buzzy guitar tone. Indeed, the first thing I shall point out is the sound. While it’s never going to win production of the year, it definitely does this album proud. Pristine, glimmering productions don’t do every band justice, and Adramelech are certainly one of those bands. There’s a real rawness, obvious from the start, and it suits this album so well.
“Descend to Eternal Torment” combines extremely nihilistic riffs, reminiscent of Dies Irae’s (the Polish band) Immolated, with much groovier passages. New vocalist, Marko Silvennoinen has just the right kind of voice for the job, somewhere between a shout and growl, sometimes not a million miles away from Arise era Max Cavalera (ex Sepultura vocalist). Parts of “Bleeding for Supremacy” had me thinking of the Mindgrinder CD I reviewed the other month, the chorus of the track “Transition” in particular. It’s catchy, and works its way into your head without warning. “Suicide, Terrorize”, is a somewhat dodgy title considering the recent horrific goings-on in our capitol, and even dodgier when I say that it could open up a Bloodbath song; “Death Delirium” being the one I’m thinking of.
“I don’t care about your Murder” is pretty blunt really, and what surprised me is that the first riff sounds incredibly old school Black Metal, in a simple, crackly, monotone way. A couple of minutes in, sees a change in pace and brutality, and we’re treated to 40 seconds of incredibly morose chord playing, with some piercing cymbal splashes to strike home the feeling of utter wretchedness.
On seeing the title of the album, “Terror of Thousand Faces” I pondered “where’s the ‘a’”. Call me pedantic, but such obvious grammar mistakes leave me tutting. This too, had Mindgrinder comparisons spinning around my head, though obviously in a rawer, older school state.
The closer, “Orphica Holodemiurgia” is quite different, being of the atmospheric, more melodic persuasion. This creeps along, as if through mist, to snarl at the unsuspecting listener whenever his or her back is turned. It’s a very brooding, semi-elegant close to proceedings and would be lost anywhere else on the album.
For those of you who miss the sound of the early 90s Stockholm bands, I suggest you try some Adramelech. The album is short and very sweet, not giving any of the nine songs time to drag on and become dull; so rest assured, this is not one of those occasions when you’ll be reaching for the skip button. A decent third opus.
Siguen vivos aunque no lo parezca. Una de las badas pioneras en el Death Metal finlandés regresa al mundo musical tras más de un lustro y a la casa que les vio nacer (aunque ya no se llame Drowned/Repulse). Con un disco que a pesar de estar grabado en 2002 no ha visto la luz hasta ahora de manera oficial.
Musicalmente hablando siguen como en sus orígenes, haciendo ese Death Metal de orientación clásica con MORBID ANGEL como referencia fundamental, y con su oscurantismo habitual a la hora de facturar los riffs y las melodías. El Death Metal que hizo famoso en una época a Finlandia, con gente como FUNEBRE, los primeros AMORPHIS y SENTENCED, o los no hace mucho renacidos DEMIGOD (aunque su renacimiento se hubiera quedado en mediocre en comparación con sus precedentes).
Temas cortos y directos, pegadizos y cargados de odio y de melodías increíbles, que nos trasladan a los primeros noventa, momento de máxima creatividad para el Death Metal. Sólo queda el resultado un poco deslucido por una producción un poco fría, que hace perder puntos a su enorme calidad, y que genera que temas tan brutales como "Descent To Eternal Torment" pierdan fuerza. De todas formas temazos como "Bleeding For Supremacy" nos hace olvidar este hecho: auténtica lección de lo que debe ser una composición que a la vez que oscura sea efectiva y llegue hasta nuestro cerebro como un tiro.
Bien es cierto que no hay lugar para las sorpresas, pero tampoco nos hacen falta, cuando un grupo como ADRAMELECH graba después de años de silencio lo que menos se busca es que hayan variado sus parámetros. Ya habrá tiempo, primero recuperar la forma y luego ya podrás avanzar y mejorar. Y es que para conseguir escuchar este Death Metal tan característico nos hemos tenido que conformar con herederos como MISANTHROPIC o PANDEMIA, y ver como un clásico vuelve a grabar siempre es motivo de alegría.
Para los que no estéis muy familiarizados con la música del grupo, decir que son exponentes de una rama del Death Metal que no busca grandes tecnicismos y velocidades, y sí atmósferas funerarias y medios tiempos aplastantes como "Slain In The Grace Of Thy Name" y con una voz agresiva que en combinación con sus magníficas guitarras crean una oda tras otra a la belleza helada de la señora muerte. El sentimiento terrorífico que saben transmitir es único y no te dejarán indiferentes.
El disco deja con ganas de más. Media hora justita me parece escaso después de tan larga espera, pero también es cierto que son treinta minutos muy bien aprovechados, llenos de groove y difíciles de olvidar y de permanecer impasibles ante ellos. No sé si el hecho de el disco fuera grabado hace tres años supondrá que no tardaremos mucho en volver a escuchar nuevos temas de ADRAMELECH, pero yo ya espero con impaciencia este momento.
Si el regreso de DEMIGOD te dejó frío. Si la reedición de FUNEBRE te hizo pensar en tiempos mejores. Y si MISANTHROPIC te hizo vibrar con su debut (por cierto, ya tardan estos germanos en volver a grabar). Si estás ávido del Death Metal épico y oscuro a la par que pegadizo que la tierra de los mil lagos nos dejó a principios de los noventa. No busques más, ADRAMELECH han vuelto para darnos el gusto de volver al pasado aunque sólo sea durante media hora.
Adramelech from Finland (land of the thousand lakes or faces??) returns to the metalfront with their 3rd full length. After recording (3 years) and difficulties with their label (3 years) this disc finally sees the light. Adramelech plays death metal, pure and simple. Only their style is now more brutal and faster. Still room for breaks though. Also the guitars are rapid and distorted sounding (no improvement for me...). Vocals are still deep grunting. When you listen to the previous work as an old fan you hear similarities in style but the new style need some listening rounds. For new fans it is old styled death metal!
Quite curious to check out these guys, I was. Name is Adramelech and they hail from Finland. They have actually been around for quite some time now since they where formed back in 1991. For that period until now they've released a couple of demos, MCD's and 3 full length albums, "Terror Of Thousand Faces" being their latest chapter.
As I was saying, I was curious to check out these guys because their music style came described as Finnish Death Metal. Well we all know that Finland is one of the best countries when it comes to metal bands, and for something to be described as Finnish Death Metal I imagined it had to be some old school shit. I was never much into the old school stuff, I mean, I didn't desliked it, I just rather listen to some of the more recent stuff. But with time that style grew on me, and I have to say, Adramelech are a very good band when it comes to this. Death Metal, I mean.
So what can one expect from "Terror Of Thousand Faces"? Well, how many ways do you know to describe a Brutal Death Metal band anyway? Fast and powerful drumms and guitar riffs, and the usual growls/harsh vocals. That pretty much says it all, but the next step is checking out how good any of those features really are. And to be quite honest, they all kick ass here! The vocals are not the kind of growls that annoy you and still you can understand the singer is actually saying something. And the drums and guitar riffs are also quite well performed, so great job there as well.
But like everything, this album has a downside which may not even be that bad, but still it made me change their final not a little. The thing is that the album only lasts 29 minutes, which is not that uncommon for Death Metal bands, but still... Well, it would be worst if the music sucked, right? So maybe it's not all that bad.
And that's it, any Death Metal fan should check this band because all the ingredients for a solid release are here. Recommended!
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