Band:	Baalphegor
Album:	Post Earthquake Age
Style:	Brutal death metal
Release date:	August 2006

01. Manipulated Nerves Impulses
02. Humtec Sphere
03. Ansphina
04. The New Adoreds
05. Filter Of Life
06. ...Moments Of The Creation...
07. New Coming Are Slave
08. Source Of Energy
09. Post Earthquake Age

With an oversaturated genre such as death metal it is often quite hard to tell which bands are still relevant and which have either slipped into being derivative or become part of an army of clones. Let's face it - the palette of means that a death metal band has at their disposal isn't particularly large. Moreover, it can be difficult to notice actual innovation among the barrage of standard-issue blast-beats, tremolo breaks and tempo changes that bands from this genre usually offer and therefore, it is up to the more patient fans to really recognize the value of an album.

This is also the case with Post Earthquake Age, the new album by the Spanish quintet Baalphegor. On first listen it all sounds awfully familiar but after a few spins it is clear that we are dealing with quite unusual death metal here. Baalphegor's music is very technical and brutal; however, the band is able to break many of the formulas that bands like Suffocation, Morbid Angel or Cryptopsy have patented in this style. One such innovation is the presence of not only flamenco guitars but also rhythms in the music, which creates drum patterns that truly stand out. The perseverant listener will be pleasantly surprised by more such detours and this is what makes Post Earthquake Age a worthwhile addition to any fan of death metal out there (along with the humorously bad grammar of the titles).

Naturally, Baalphegor are also quite apt at providing brutal blast beats and whatever other element that is required to make a death metal album these days. The only thing that needs work on this release is the production, which could definitely be more clear and powerful. Of course, it would also be nice if the band was adventurous enough to venture even farther away into the left-field; however, at the same time, there is something to be said about keeping in touch with one's roots, especially in this genre. Still, I sincerely hope their next album will be even more unusual since as it is, Baalphegor occupies the same spot as Necrophagist - that of a talented band not receiving the recognition they deserve because they stick to a genre that has just been milked too much for its own good in the last decade?