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May 17, 2012 |
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01. The God That Never Was
02. Shadows Of The Mutilated
03. Time Heals Nothing
04. Autopsy
05. Never Forget, Never Forgive
06. Trail Of The Dead
07. Phantoms (Of The Oath)
08. Into The Temple Of Humiliation
09. Blood For Paradise
10. Feel The Darkness
11. Where No Ghost Is Holy
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Surely DISMEMBER are among the most reliably consistent acts within Metaldom's (un)hallowed halls!?! If not then this is one punter who would like to know who is! Ever since their groundbreaking debut "Like An Everflowing Stream" back in '92, these marauding, denim 'n leather-clad Swedish madmen have always delivered the goods signed and sealed with no question as to what one's tortured ears were about to be pummeled with: just straight-up, no B.S., 100% TRUE Death Metal! And as much as progressive experimentation, eclecticism, and other such genre-defying and expanding innovations will always be a much-needed and appreciated factor in the development and sustainment of Metal as a whole, the fact remains that we also need bands like DISMEMBER who continue to stick to their guns, delivering traditional meat 'n potatoes brutality with tight, razor-sharp flair and always just enough adrenaline and visceral appeal to remind even the most jaded of headbangers and rivetheads that at the end of the day it's all about the power of the riff, a scorching lead or two, and the kind of balls-out, middle-finger-in-the-face aggression that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.
Picking up more or less where last year's excellent "Where Ironcrosses Grow" release, DISMEMBER have returned with yet another slab of ale-and-entrail-soaked antisocial celebration in "The God That Never Was". Sporting another Dan Seagrave cover art masterpiece (this guy's stuff is just so gloriously old-school), "The God That Never Was" is more or less what one has come to expect from DISMEMBER. And again, while not in any way, shape or form reinventing the wheel…in the case of this band and their output this is a good thing. Often unfairly accused of being nothing more than ENTOMBED-clones, DISMEMBER have always - in this writer’s opinion - been not only far more prolific than their more critically-acclaimed peers, but also far more consistent, and also far more possessive of a certain gift for riff and hook that is more or less unparalleled within the world of Traditional/Melodic Death Metal. Dual stringsmen Blomqvist and Persson have always worked well off of one another in terms of evoking the same sort of dynamic leads that acts such as IRON MAIDEN, ACCEPT, and early HELLOWEEN once pioneered so many years ago, always riding that death-defyingly heroic gallop that is guaranteed to get fists pumping and heads banging in wild abandon.
This album is no exception to the rule either; the tracks on offer rife with catchy, hummable riffs and exquisite leadwork, particularly on the very MAIDEN-inspired "Phantoms (Of the Oath)", "Where No Ghost Is Holy" with it’s stunning, addictive harmonies, the shredding, take-no-prisoners assault of "Shadows Of the Mutilated" and the title track, and ruthless closer "Time Heals Nothing". Add to this the expected warm, very dense and organic "fuzzy", distorted production values that are so perfectly executed on all DISMEMBER releases and "The God That Never Was" stands the test as yet another collection of memorable and repeat-playable tracks from a band who can always be trusted to stay the course and deliver what they do best to an audience who know exactly what they want to hear. In fact, given how much time this has spent in the player since purchase only two days ago it’s a fair statement to say that the tracks on "The God That Never Was" are among the best that DISMEMBER have released in recent years.
So then, if you feel the time has come to experience Metal taken back to the basics and punched into your psyche with all the subtlety of a spiked, leather-clad fist to the jaw then really…look no further than DISMEMBER and "The God That Never Was". This raises the bar disconcertingly high for the title of Death Metal album of 2006! CANNIBAL CORPSE...you have your work cut out for you!
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