The Grotesquery - Curse of the Skinless Bride

Artist: The Grotesquery
Album: Curse of the Skinless Bride
Release date: April 10, 2015
Label: Cyclone Empire
Genre: Death metal









WHAT THIS IS ABOUT
These guys play a lot of death metal. The singer is Kam Lee, a veteran of the American death scene (before death metal existed, kinda), while you probably know guitarist Rogga Johansson from one of the 28 (I counted) bands he's been in. This is The Grotesquery's third album - the first one was quite good and the second was quite quite good - published by a small label and all that jazz. It's a horror concept album, so a regular death metal album.

WHAT IT DOES RIGHT
They definitely nail the horror vibe. The atmosphere feels more like a good videogame than a bad movie. This is helped by how the album sounds - pretty fuckin' good, if you ask me. It's got this cool thing where the vocals are up front, like it's a pop record, but you can definitely feel the instruments punch you over and over. The Grotesquery have the experience they need to make it entertaining, even if this isn't your first (or hundredth) trip in the wonderful world of death metal.

WHAT IT DOES WRONG
I would have done without the spoken intermissions. Orson Welles you are not. Props for trying, but the cringe is strong. Speaking of the music, it's, well, death metal. Nothing less, and nothing more. If you are reading metal reviews online, you know what death metal is, how it sounds, whether it has an impact on you. Of course I'd love every band to push their music towards innovation, but it is how it is,

VERDICT
You already know if you'll like it or not. Let's face it, you probably will. It's actually a shame there aren't enough full-fledged songs, but maybe it would have been boring otherwise. I like the idea of 40-50 minutes of music, not because it's old school but because you can feel that the band didn't shoehorn anything in to please an exec (are there even business suit types in death metal?). This sounds like you'd expect it - it does not disappoint.

Depraved Murder - Remnants of Depravity

Artist: Depraved Murder
Title: Remnants of Depravity
Release date: April 10, 2015
Label: WAAR Productions
Genre: Brutal Death Metal. Cookie Monster in a b-movie.









WHAT THIS IS ABOUT
Bunch of Indonesian kids playing loud music. Their drummer is called Yogy, which I imagine sounds funnier in this hemisphere, but whatever. This is their first album, published by a tiny Indonesian label which appears to be doing the right things.

WHAT IT DOES RIGHT
These guys are competent. It truly is one of the greatest testaments to death metal. They live 10,000 miles away from the place where death metal was born, and they play it well. Some tracks (like Neurological Brain Disorders) show interesting guitar work, which in my opinion stands out as the true highlight of the album. The vocal aren't bad - they lack some emphasis at times, and I think that constant growling has ran its course. When it's alternated with some screaming, like in Torso Rotten Flesh, it's definitely refreshing. It also sounds pretty well, in the sense that you can hear everything well (except for the bass, which I had to intentionally look for every time) and it's all well distributed.

WHAT IT DOES WRONG
All of the above being said, this album is formulaic as hell. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, especially in an underdeveloped metal scene like the one in Indonesia. But it might not satisfy an American or European fan. The audio from horror movies is cheesy beyond words, but it ties in with the art and general themes. I was not impressed with the drumming - it's the only true weak point, in my opinion. It partially depends on some sound design choices (half of the drum kit sounds fine, the other half is messed up), but it's ultimately due to playing style. It adds nothing to the songs, and at times it detracts a bit from them.

VERDICT
If you're Indonesian, it's a big deal. Like, really big. If you're not Indonesian (which sounds more likely, if you're reading this blog), it's still not bad, so you might want to give it a try. You can stream it in its entirety on Bandcamp, which gives you the chance to check if I'm bullshitting (I'm not).