I fucking agree, this album is addictive, catchy Brutal Death,this is THE headbanger's wet dream, I've been listening to this non stop. Good review XD

Didn't know this had leaked. I feel good times on the horizon.

Does it have that token wacky, baby toy/flamenco/rap, moment?

Yeah it's more brutal, more technical and even cleaner in the production but it's still very much Benighted. I do miss the more grindy elements but I'm positive more play throughs will reveal this album more and more, much like Icon did. I'm not convinced this is 9.5 material though.

Giving this a dl right now; will post thoughts on it as soon as I'm finished listening. So excited!

Just listened to some stuff on youtube. this sounds like a killer really. i have to check this out soon...

I am going to check this out ASAP!

I think giving this a 9.5 is a little too lenient. There are some dragging moments, and at times it's like Icon in a more convoluted way. Granted, there are a lot more pace-changing exploratory elements, but as a whole I was upset with the lack of brutality. Where I felt Icon (and Identisick, for that matter) achieved a perfect combination of deathgrind and BDM, this one seems to be more grind, less death. (I see Joe thinks the opposite, but it's not often we agree on Benighted's classification despite us both liking the band.)

I was honestly expecting something more along the lines of Abysmal Torment or Putrid Pile. Asylum Cave reminds me of early Aborted though. (Not a bad thing, just a little unexpected.)

I'd still personally give it a 9.0 or so. I mean there's no way I'm not listening to this repeatedly, the riffs are just too addictive and JT's vocal performance is as maniacal as ever. Production-wise I don't hear much of a difference between this and Icon, maybe the vocals are a little more apparent in the mix, but I think that's merely an attempt at balancing the insane soloing. And it's not like they changed their style completely - I don't mean to make it sound dramatic...although maybe that's why I don't like this as much as I thought I would. From Identisick to Icon the band changed a lot; both releases stand toe-to-toe in "best BDM album" discussions. I just don't see this one up there with those two.

All that being said, it's a top-notch deathgrind release if you ask me. I doubt it takes home an award as a potential death metal nominee, but this could do some serious damage in the grind category. And of course, regardless of its virtual hardware, this is still a kick-ass album and one any death metal or grindcore fans should listen to immediately.

This album is simply perfect. I get into it more and more every time I listen to it.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 21.03.2011 at 01:51

I think giving this a 9.5 is a little too lenient.

Well, you should have gotten used to Baz's tendency to be "a little too lenient."

I really don't know so far. This is sounding terribly close to that Recueil Morbide band at times; suffocating themselves under their own skill and trying too much in each song and resulting in some rather sterile sounding death metal tracks that lack that organic grinding groove and Napalm Death-driven aggressiveness. 'Swallow' for me feels like the most interesting track that harks right back to ICP and Identisick. Often the only track where I can sense much of the grind.

The drums are too prominent and hyper-aggressive (often consistent with that of a brutal/tech band, something Identisick never had - each beat was discernible) and the guitar tone is too sharp and cutting and again too spastic. I'm just splaying my thoughts out at the moment but this is so different from Identisick which feels comparitively punky, loose and gloriously fucking simple.

@Troy: Come on dude, listen to Identisick (and Icon) and tell me this record is not 10 times more brutal death than that? Even on Identisick's heaviest moments you can feel the groove of the guitar at every point whereas a lot of the time here it's just a fuzzy blur, and there are a fewer breakdowns. I finally concede to the arguments that Benighted are a brutal death band. THIS album is very much so. I can't headbang to this. Not without serious whiplash.

I'm not saying they aren't a better band for the changes they've made but it's not a band I can totally get on board with anymore. They've done a bit of a Gorod and traded melody and personality for speed and technical bravado. Unless this grows on me in the future this is capped at 7.5 at its peak.

I'd suggest taking time to digest more (Troy, Joe...) - when I first heard it, I wasn't as blown back as I would have liked. I do think this is their best album now though.

And K?ulu - only where I feel appropriate. This album is perfect for my tastes, combining brutality and catchiness.

Written by Baz Anderson on 21.03.2011 at 17:26

I'd suggest taking time to digest more (Troy, Joe...) - when I first heard it, I wasn't as blown back as I would have liked. I do think this is their best album now though.

And K?ulu - only where I feel appropriate. This album is perfect for my tastes, combining brutality and catchiness.

No offense, but I have this rule: take Baz's review, deduct one point, and that would be "more objective." Just my observation.

A 9.5 rating from Baz?????????? Is this really that good?????????????
OMG And I haven't checked this out yet

Written by [user id=4365] on 21.03.2011 at 14:37

@Troy: Come on dude, listen to Identisick (and Icon) and tell me this record is not 10 times more brutal death than that? Even on Identisick's heaviest moments you can feel the groove of the guitar at every point whereas a lot of the time here it's just a fuzzy blur, and there are a fewer breakdowns. I finally concede to the arguments that Benighted are a brutal death band. THIS album is very much so. I can't headbang to this. Not without serious whiplash.

I listen to those albums regularly, and although they are more catchy and contain more groove, I still feel (especially with Icon) both albums are more "brutal" in terms of the genre descriptor.

I'll bite my tongue for now - with the exception of my first analysis - like Baz said; I'll give it a few more listens and see if my opinion changes on anything (which I doubt, but just to be sure).

I will say this, regarding brutal death: I used to fit Benighted in with the bands I listed before (Putrid Pile, Abysmal Torment) in that they mix brutality with groove. With this though...I don't feel the mixing of both, just a more select focus on being insane but catchy. Not brutal and catchy. When I think BRUTAL death metal, I think recent Defeated Sanity, Pathology, Cerebral Effusion, etc. (none of which are overly catchy bands, if at all).

With this album, I'd give them similarity tags consisting of early Aborted and Blood Red Throne due solely to their level of groove.

"sanity-questioning vocal styles" - i love that expression well put and true indeed.
This band is turning me slowly into BDM fan, aaargh...

A great fucking album for a great fucking Benighted fan like me... It's really amazing to see Benighted release awesome albums in a row starting right from Insane Cephalic Production every successor album happens to surpass its predecessor in terms of musicianship, quality, technicality and almost in every fucking aspect.... All thats left to say is Hail Benighted.. and great review as always

I think this album took a step back vocally. His vocals were great on Indentisick and decent on Icon, but now they are just annoying...and he won't shut up.
If the vocals weren't an issue, this is their best album.

9.5 is clearly an exaggeration. It's a good album, full of great death metal songs. But i wouldn't give it more than a 7.

Written by [user id=104220] on 25.03.2011 at 12:06

9.5 is clearly an exaggeration. It's a good album, full of great death metal songs. But i wouldn't give it more than a 7.

I agree 9.5 is a bit high (though it's his opinion, so not right or wrong), I still think it's worth more than a 7 - especially if you like anything they released before this.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 26.03.2011 at 21:50

Written by [user id=104220] on 25.03.2011 at 12:06

9.5 is clearly an exaggeration. It's a good album, full of great death metal songs. But i wouldn't give it more than a 7.

I agree 9.5 is a bit high (though it's his opinion, so not right or wrong), I still think it's worth more than a 7 - especially if you like anything they released before this.

True. I heard it twice now...it's a 6.5-8 at best

Seriously good!

Wow, three songs and I'm hooked in. Surprisingly very, very catchy. Made me reconsider getting back into DM.