Cataclysmic

Sept. 3, 2015

 

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Listen to Adversarial
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Welcome to Canada. No, I'm not joking. The land of stereotypically amazing healthcare, unlocked doors, and generally agreeable people is the homeland of this abysmal death metal rot. Adversarial don't end any of their songs with the word "eh?" (or at least as far as I can understand), nor are they interested in discussing moose or mounties. They are hear simply to sonically destroy.

Listen to those Under the Sign of Hell sounding drums. The snare is like the drumcore of the damned. Sticks of bone hitting tightened, dried flesh. And while Adversarial may have a kvlt edge in the production department, the performance is anything but. Just a few minutes of gradual exposure will emphasize the super technical nature of the musicianship. Think Abyssal meets Ulcerate.

Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism is truly an unpredictable inferno of atmospheric death metal. Guitars will take breaks from squeeling and howling to engage in more typical DM and BM progressions, but this is still noisy as f@#k. Even so, slower tracks like "Old Ruins Slumber" feature some pretty ear-catching hooks that make them instantly recognizable and very enjoyable. At times they even brought to mind Doomed's particular take on death/doom fusion.

But the cataclysmic build in the closing track is an easy favorite. Tom tidal waves, berating blastbeats, barbaric bass, and inglorious guitar. As for the vocals, how many ways can I describe the ADM approach? It's a horror movie demon in a cement room that we are hearing through 6 feet of dirt and clay. Whatever. This is another welcome addition to my own personal collection, but I also urge you to make it yours for just $7. Embrace the destruction.