The Pitch: Invictus Productions and Dark Descent Records are proud to present the debut album of Sweden's blackened, old school-flavored DM band Ensnared. "Dysangelium is the fiery, fearless fruit born of conflict and strife, the descent into one's self and ascent into the Beyond - beyond possibility, beyond doubt, beyond boundary." FFO Cultes Des Ghoules meets Entombed
What I Like: Listen to those pounding drums. I adore the opening of this album with its enormous toms and driving rhythm. You can't not tap your foot to it. In tandem with the blackened, jangly guitar tremolos, these raw, live beats led me to comparisons with albums like Henbane; though the vocals take more of an old school death metal route. H.K. has a gruff ugliness to his voice that fits the music just as well as CDG's cackles or demented shrieks. The music also has a certain disjointed quality to it, often jumping from riff to riff in a jarring fashion; but interestingly without compositions feeling jumbled or haphazard. To use a tired but relevant phrase: there is a method to the madness. Dysangelium is broken up by 5 interludes with one between each full track. This idea seems like it would become tiresome on paper, but in practice it actually works quite well for Ensnared. Each interlude adds to the overall experience while also serving as perfectly presentable tracks individually. Their moody, mysteriousness provides an important counterbalance to the faster, more aggressive parts.
What I Don't Like: If I'm nit-picking, it's not the most imaginative album I've heard so far this year, which as I've said before is not always the most important thing in the world.
The Verdict: A rugged death metal album filled with Swedish flair that also features some inventive songwriting and dynamics. Get it Friday. UNGH!
Flight's Fav's: Crushing the Meek of Heart, Gale of Maskim, Impious Immance