DEATH METAL |
STORY TIME | FANBOY | HORROR MOVIES | CONVENTION NEWS | HORRIBLE NEWS |
|
Recently Terrorizer magazine commented on the career of DISMEMBER being somewhat "disappointing." Though the comparisons were always exaggerated, perhaps they confused DISMEMBER with ENTOMBED. At least DISMEMBER never stooped to being such annoying rock stars, and with HATE CAMPAIGN once more prove they were always the superior of the two. Despite unfounded rumors to the contrary in another 'zine, where you can't believe what you read, DISMEMBER hasn't relinquished their edge. Where anyone got this impression is about as mysterious as the disappearance of the Roanoke colony. HC picks up where 1997's DEATH METAL left off, with crushing heaviness and swift tempos. Some line-up changes this time - Magnus Sahlgren now compliments the axe of David Blomqvist, and Mercyful Fate / Witchery /etc. bassist Sharlee D'Angelo stands in for Richard Cabeza. The core of DISMEMBER remains drummer Fred Estby and Blomqvist, so essentially nothing is lost. The primary characteristic
of this album is its relentless pace. Each song bleeds right into the
next with hardly no space between them. Estby keeps an unassuming but
inspired beat to the driven tempos of "Retaliate," "Enslaved
to Bitterness," and "In Death's Cold Embrace." The frantic pace subsides for this album's answer to "Mistweaver," the concluding title track. This is where D'Angelo's bass is most prominent. Proficient as they are with the thrashier tempos, they were never lacking for exceptional slower moments. They don't know the meaning of dull moment, and HATE blazes through its 34 minutes with highly satisfying conviction. The arguable misstep of MASSIVE KILLING CAPACITY seems fades further from memory. They've been worth following for their ten years, and HATE CAMPAIGN shows there will be more great things to come. 4 PERPLEX SKULLS
This review copyright 2000 E.C.McMullen Jr. |
|
|