Band:	The Chasm
Album:	The Spell Of Retribution
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	2004
Guest review by:	Azhidahak

01. From The Curse, A Scourge...
02. The Omnipotent Codex
03. Conqueror & Warlord
04. Manifest My Intervention
05. Fortress
06. Retribution Of The Lost Years (I, The Pastfinder III)
07. Conjuring The New Apocalypse
08. The Eclipse: Monument To The Empire
    1 - Sentence And Burden
    2 - The Voyage
    3 - The Restitution
09. Remains Of The Covenant
10. Eternal Cycle Of Delusion

The Chasm is probably one of the most famous death metal bands from Mexico. They have been around since 1992 and released 6 full length albums so far, which means they are obviously no amateurs. "The Spell of Retribution" is the bands newest effort and their gift to all their fans that have been waiting to hear their new release.

The album begins with the track "From the Curse, A Scourge..." which slightly starts the adventure with some haunting melodies that gets faster and faster and louder and louder all the time and makes us listen impatiently for it to burst and start the madness. But you must be patient because it takes some time before the real "killing" starts. It seems to be that these guys don't like to just start off with the most brutal drums and fast riffs like many other death metal bands but they prefer to start by creating some catchy atmosphere and lay the melodic background that will, after this song, stay throughout the rest of the record.

After the band has made up the melodic background for the rest of the album in the first song, now its time for the aggressiveness to get out which is exactly how the second track "The Omnipotent Codex" starts. Now we both have a melodic and aggressive side from this album, sometimes the band brings up the melodic layer and puts it over the aggressive one, and sometimes they switch and put the aggressive layer over the melodic one. Either way, you have both which is just what makes this album so interesting.

I would even dare to call this album melodic death metal. And no, when I say melodic death metal I don't mean some Gothenburg bands like inflames, dark tranquillity or similar bands that have been called melodeath while they have almost nothing (except the growls) to do with death metal. This is REAL melodic death metal, which means it is death metal but with a very strong melodic aspect.

This is one of the better death metal releases of 2004 and should be checked out by all death metal fans.