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Acephalix > Deathless Master > Reviews
Acephalix - Deathless Master

Love life, No laws; I live raw - 87%

atanamar, November 26th, 2012

Acephalix breathe life into fetid, sepulchral death with crust punk beats and chest-bursting rage. Deathless Master is a subtle refinement of the ripping, rupturous sound the band unleashed last year with Interminable Night. Rhythmic and vocal vehemence are still the band’s raison d'être, but the heaving riffage is elevated in both quality and clarity on Deathless Master.

Acephalix crush with comfort at any velocity, dropping infectious riffs to D-Beats and blasts alike. The drumming is purely superlative; Dave Benson is willing to lay back and let it swing, allowing a riff to slip up in the muck, to play out a long noose of doom or to chug up bit of subsonic thrash. The guitars speak only in tongues of primal death, occasionally spewing a dissonant anti-melody or letting loose a wild, keening lead. The guitar tones are satisfying gouts of gurgling darkness, illuminated by the requisite Sunlight sounding distortion.

The vocals are possessed of a ruthless, bestial ferocity. Intentions are made gloriously and succinctly clear when we’re informed that “Birth, Life, Death, Rot; I live raw. Love life, No laws; I live raw.” The puerile exhortations erupt in perfect syncopation with the band’s rampaging cadence; hold on tight to your humanity.

Acephalix have achieved an effortless victory over death itself. Deathless Master is a massive, roaring and inexorable wave of obliteration; I’m compelled to revel repeatedly in its spell. “A sea of death surrounds us. We’re islands apart. Impossibly connected, we’re one in the dark.”

Originally published here: http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/album-review-acephalix-deathless-master

Deathless Master - 65%

Infernali, September 13th, 2012

It is worth noting before starting this review that Jeff “Leppard” Davis who produced it has subsequently died in a fatal motorbike accident in San Francisco. His wife was also critically injured in the collision and Raw Nerve’s thoughts are with the family and friends of them both at this tragic time. What makes this even sadder, and even though I don’t know him, is that Jeff was a formidable engineer as exemplified on Acephalix’s second album “Deathless Master” where the production and tone is top notch and disgustingly effective. In the proto death years when crust, grind and D-beat was in full force with Napalm Death, Repulsion, Impetigo, Discharge, Boltthrower, plus a barrage of outfits lingering in the underground it was inevitable that someone would take all of these styles to some extent and put them into one festering pustule of a band, in comes Autopsy about 1987 and by 1989 their first album was released onto an unsuspecting metal throng, craving something heavier and faster. The resulting aural thuggery has become a trademark for all things US, death metal and down tuned to the equivalent of a pyroclastic flow. Initially Acephalix traded under a banner of crust and D-beat but has switched allegiances to a more purist death metal form though their affection for crust is still around for posterity sake.

“Bastard Self” kicks things off with some Dismember style riffing utilising that tone of guitar any death metal fan totally adores, unless you’re some form wimp that is and can’t handle it for fear of feeling grubby after it. Vocally this sits firmly in the Autopsy realm and even the gore grind territory of say Regurgitate and Carcass. The opening riff on the title track sounds like Asphyx with a jack hammering pace and heavy emphasis on a snapping snare sound. Devoid of double kick this tune has similarities to Obituary as well. Most old school death metal conjures up visions of Dismember, Grave and whoever else and Acephalix is no different though their brand of caustic savagery has those elements of D-beat as on “Tomb Of Our Fathers”. Arguably one could say that Acephalix offer nothing that spinning “Left Hand Path” or “Into The Grave” (Entombed and Grave respectively) wouldn’t cure, but credit is due for the different riffs used and also the way the songs are structured to surge from speedy rampages to slower more crushing episodes. I adored the riff on “On Wings…” which has that ear splitting crunch and as the riff changes I am brought about to early Six Feet Under, with the slower methodical pace superseding the blasts in favour of a more thunderous head banging tempo.

This is a short album at just over 30 minutes and in some ways this is very like Warlord UK, another band whose crust affiliation is borne proudly within their music also. Albums like this come through with regularity on a variety of labels and it is fair to say that most have their own take on the original scene and most offer something a little different but in qualification it is also worth mentioning that there is nothing here to make you sit up and say wow what an album, though you’d be hard pressed to find an album with such brutal and infectious riffing as on “Blood Of Desire” and “In The Arms Of Nothing”, the latter of which is prime time Bolt Thrower completely. A mention goes to the closer for its expansive grinding and rotting putridity, this slower more elongated song is like watching your own decomposition in time lapse, the thick sound is formidable and though I hate fade outs I’ll forgive this one. Any fans into Swedeath, Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Incantation, Repulsion, Entrails, early Demiurg, you get the picture this is your monthly fix.

Originally written for www.rawnervezine.co.uk

Swedish death metal for dummies - 65%

Andromeda_Unchained, August 17th, 2012

Acephalix are the latest old school Swedish Death Metal band hailing from the USA. The band originally started off playing a more Crust Punk style of music, but with the advent of their sophomore release Deathless Master have switched to Death Metal. Now this is fine in my book - and I have a massive soft-spot for old school Swedish Death Metal – but I can’t help but worry that too many bands seem to be popping up playing this style.

Credit to Acephalix though, they read Swedish Death Metal for Dummies cover to cover twice, and then for good measure picked up the Left Handbook (see what I did there? Anyone?) Their study of the style definitely earns them an A for effort straight off the bat, and going in without prior knowledge I could have well been fooled as to the bands nationality. The sound on “Deathless Master” is akin to unearthing a long lost release in the archives of Sunlight Studio’s; there’s that buzz-saw guitar sound, punchy d-beat drums, and a thick, heavy bass.

Fans of Entombed, Grave, Dismember and the like are going to feel right at home with Deathless Master as the album does this style exactly how it was paved out at the turn of the 80’s. They unfortunately don’t add anything new to the style which is a shame, ultimately resulting in a borderline faceless release. As agreeable as everything is here, I can’t help but find myself craving something a little more.

The way I look at it, this is by all means a good record; but when I’m sat listening to Deathless Master deep down I know I’d rather listen to “Like an Ever Flowing Stream” or even recently the latest albums from Black Breath or Horrendous. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t good fun, but then I’d doubly be lying if I said I’d find much time to listen to this in the future.

Originally written for

  • http://www.metal-observer.com
  • In some ways I am very simple man... - 85%

    lord_ghengis, May 10th, 2012

    I like to think I have a fairly well developed musical palate, I feel like most of my favourite music has depth to it and artistic worth, and I am usually pretty damn hard to please. This is why I'm so surprised when something like Acephalix comes my way and pushes all that pretentious arrogance out of my system. Fast Death Metal? With a dirty old school production? With simplistic instrumentation? Sounds like something that's been done a thousand times in the last four years, Fuck that shit!

    ...Also it has heaps of D Beats.

    Sign me up! Right this fucking instant!

    I'm not sure what it is about the simple equation of higher tempo death metal + D beats, but I am sold on it like a Japanese paedophile and a used underwear vending machine. Vomitory do it, Bastard Priest do it, these guys do it with a full out crusty vengeance, and my brain reacts to it like a call to jump out of my goddamned skull. This is heavy, straight forward pounding death metal through and through, usually this would bore me and I expect anyone well seasoned to the recent trend in death metal, but you know what, this style just weaponizes it into a nice projectile that gets to me.

    This is very straight forward stuff for the main part; the majority of the riffs are plain old OSDM through and through, what's more the best moments are when they get even more simplified than your usual OSDM band so as to play up the crust side, with pretty much all their other flair coming from the driving drum work, ripping vocals, and immense guitar tone. I am totally willing to agree that these guys aren't great riffists; the fast, crusty ones are magnificent, but they are very scarce for something billed as crust/death metal, and by and large it's just the energy and sound these guys have that makes this album excellent. With that said there is a little bit more flair to it than what the other reviewers have stated, the band likes to use nice Finnish sounding lead melodies on occasion, (which is another one of these simple things that drives me wild actually) although for only short moments, it is a nice tonal shift in any case. The soloing is pretty cool too, very fast, not very intricate, interesting and entertaining while not being worthy of any sort of in depth analysis, and they achieve the same tonal shift as the leads, and as a bonus they are actually used on pretty much every song! Although they're usually like 6 seconds long… Acephalix could do with a lot more of both the punkier styled riffs and the melodies, as it is their use on the first few songs really have this album leap out of the gate, the title track being a stand out for both a cool crust/death combo riff through the middle, and very good alien melody in the latter part. Sadly much of the middle to later stages of the album are pretty low aiming, the riffs stay firmly in pure death metal territory just with that bonus catchy drum work, and the band doesn't utilise enough of the lengthier screeching solos or interesting descending grooves of "Tombs of Our Fathers", instead opting for very headbangable and very well produced, but completely less impressive mid tempo Bolt Thrower churnings.

    This is a fantastic sounding album, and would be a good place for modern OSDM bands to try and model their sound, admittedly it's simple music to record, but all the guitar work is both easy to make out, while still being weighty as shit, the drumming is nice a deep, and has all of its components mixed into a nice even level, both avoiding being drowned out and doesn't over power at all. Likewise, Dan’s vocals are powerful and imposing without getting in the way. He largely utilises a low roar, with pretty much no enunciation, but authentic enough to avoid being a brutal death metal toilet gurgle, he also throws in quite a few higher screams to keep things mixed up a little and exciting.

    Deathless Master is somewhat conflicted in its two approaches, as I've so energetically pointed out these guys can rock out like a mother fucker, but they also are an attempt at a rather atmospheric entity, unlike the other D beat driven bands I enjoy. While the shift does help them avoid being a "party metal" band with no artistic merit, the problem is that their atmospherics are pretty dull. As I've mentioned, these riffs are ridiculously simple, and while technicality isn't needed for a good riff, the riffs on their own aren't amazing. Sure the punky ones are fun and fresh, but the quicker riffs that don't cling onto the bands crust punk roots are the sort of stuff you've heard a thousand times before by other bands with better skills, and it really is the whole package coming together that makes them worthwhile. That's still cool, and I go along with it 110%, where Acephalix stumble is with the full out atmospheric, slow stuff. Firstly, it really is quite dull. Without the added tempo the music lacks the combined energy of the band to carry the weaker riffs, and without the speed there is absolutely no chance for the bands unique crust punk roots to show up. Second, there's way too much of it, the appeal of the band is really all about that quicker stuff, but outside of pretty much the first two songs, it is never the main focus of any songs outside of "Blood of Desire" and "In the Arms of Nothing." "The Hunger" and the previously mentioned "Tombs of Our Fathers" are the only ones of these mostly slow ones to really do anything cool with the lack of tempo.

    Acephalix's second album is a partial testament to how good these guys could be. Sadly, they don't play up their gimmick anywhere near enough, instead trying to get that same atmosphere of darkness as many, many bands around right now. I mean, come on, they're playing crust/death metal, it's not a huge logical leap to play it up and really get those two together more often because it totally fucking rules when they do. Leave the atmosphere for the less fun as hell bands, or at least the bands that are better at crafting riffs. Still, the first three songs rule outright, the last three are very good also, although the tedium of the two in the middle can suck the life out of you for the later parts, which is something that I have noticed on many repeat listens. I always hate reviewing these sort of albums, there is never too much to praise, and quite a few things to nitpick and I always sound negative, but let me state this clearly: This is super fun, there isn't much to be absorbed, there isn't much to dissect, but hell, it sure is a good time to sit back and enjoy the ride.

    Implacability...Only Up To One Point - 68%

    thrashtidote, May 6th, 2012

    I'm really no expert on bands which like to fuse the punkish, raw attitude of crust with crushing death metal stylings, but if there's a good band in sight, I'l take it. I heard some praising the new Acephalic record, and some appraising it, so at first I really didn't know what to do. Some crusty d-beat OSDM sounded tasty, so ı decided to take the album. I don't what happened but somehow, the magic feeling that I thought would happen did not occur, and I suddenly found myself amid a chaotic storm of pulverizing hammers flying at me at full speed, from all directions. This may sound very attractive at first, but over time the album introduces irritating features of its own that causes the listener gradually put down the album in an orgy of confusion and disinterest, and I felt like during my listen. Now, allow me to give some more detail:

    The first crusty barrage of tremolo madness ''Bastard Self'' was a lethal dose of the d-beat driven death metal sound that the album displays on many sections, and since it was my first listen, I found it to be quite fresh, dynamic and very heavy, with shrewd usage of the double-bass drums and a little longevity. As the other songs passed and swaggered before me, I slowly lost my interest. I don't why this happened, but I was probably not satisfied with the overall purity and crustiness of the death metal riffs, just as much as I wasn't content with the amount of OSDM riffage used. Don't get me wrong, there are come really juicy and face-bending tremolo bursts with downright crushing mid-pace stompers, but even so, I found the guitar tone to be much too rich and full as if it's a stuffed turkey ready to explode, and the riffs in general are extremely futile when it comes to being spicy and high quality. They're simple, robotic stomps for the most part, and I believe it's the ridiculously heavy tone and numbing effect of the riffs that drives fans crazy, and all I can say is that it's definitely no way to earn more respect. Not only that, but the riffs are also so simple, and derivative that...well many won't even notice that since the hefty tone wraps the riffs up like a fuzzy rug, but they're just boring, plain and systematic incursions with no feeling, and you may think that the Autopsy-esque doom riffs and Bolt Thrower grooves may garnish the quality, but they just make it worse.

    The vocals might have been another agitating feature for some, and I am one those. The vocal style of ''Dan'' is just indecipherable, and I can't seem to see what difference they have when compared to the vocals used in a random brutal death metal band. And I detest brutal death metal growls. When compared to other examples, ''Deathless Master'' is still far from the worst and it still has some energy inside it, and the only reason disliked this album is that Acephalix were not able to expose that energy using the right way, and as a result, we got this. True, energy and diversity is not the only thing that puts some flaws on the album, there are exasperating elements found in quite an abundance and those could only be fully replenished in time, and no doubt when the band decides to work harder on the complexity of the riffs. Most of ''Deathless Masters'' hooks missed my vital organs, and the album failed to pull me into the same monstrously entertaining vortex as it pulled several others, but let's be patient and let us pray for all hope is not lost for Acephalix.

    Highlights:
    Raw Life
    The Hunger


    Rating: 68,5%

    http://laceratedthrashmetal.blogspot.com/

    The Left Hand, Safe, Soulless Path - 26%

    HeySharpshooter, April 24th, 2012

    San Fransisco based Acephalix could not have a more massive hype machine. It's basically been impossible to escape the enthusiasm for the 4-pieces new record Deathless Master, which has the former crust punk act transforming into the new, hot commodity in Swedish Death Metal Worsh-... I mean Revival.

    Yeah, you can all see where this is going.

    Deathless Master certainly delivers on all fronts, at least for those seeking only the most worship-y Entombed and Grave worship. Nothing is out of place, nothing is new or challenging and nothing will ever make you question Acephalix's loyalty to Sunlight Studios guitar sounds or true old-school credibility. Deathless Master has a singular purpose, and commits to it with plenty of verve and vigor. Everything is genre appropriate, from the album cover, song titles and lyrics to the song-writing, which effectively captures the essence of the heavily melodic, simplistic and musty Swedish death metal sound to total carbon-copy perfection. Acephalix perform each track masterfully, at the very least never sounding sloppy or overwhelmed, while vocalist Dan(that's it) is a capable growler in his own right, providing a solid low grunt which predictably accompanies each economical, effortless track. Truly, Deathless Master is a machine with plenty of hellish fuel to power it's journey into the crypts.

    And FUCK is it boring.

    And album like Deathless Master has becoming increasingly common in death metal: all soulless style, no substance. Acephalix steal their riffs from Left Hand Path with mechanical precision, and play them with a kind of blandness that can make one slip into a deep sleep at a moments notice. Fearfully constructed to appeal to the masses, Deathless Master is the kind of highly accessible dribble hidden under a reverb drenched production that is over-running death metal as we speak. There are quite literally only two moments, not songs but moments, where Deathless Master ever carries any weight or intensity: the opening riffs of "... On Wings" and "The Hunger" bring much needed evil to an album which for the most part is merely highly digestible junk food.

    On it's surface, there is nothing inherently wrong with the concept of an accessible, for lack of a better phrase, "Pop" death metal album. And the Swedish death metal sound has always been the most accessible death metal sound, so there really should be no surprise that Deathless Master is a largely easy listen. It all comes down to personal taste really, and for this particular listener, Deathless Master is little more than lifeless static in a sea of soulless static peddlers; a piece of worship with no real faith backing it, other than faith in it's own popularity. Deathless Master was always going to be a success by virtue of what it is, regardless of the quality: it's death metal on Easy Mode.

    Deathless Master is just one more example of a death metal scene which has become increasingly toxic to things like creativity and originality. Calls of "it wasn't broken, why fix it?" and "this is REAL death metal" fill the air, and power an album like Deathless Master to new heights, sure to be highly featured on many year end lists as one of the best albums of 2012: genetically engineered for hype and mass appeal. Which again, is not really a bad thing... unless it begins to overwhelm a genre's artistic credibility. With death metal becoming so hostile to artists who endeavor to be original and put serious work into their song-craft, an album like Deathless Master could very well be a death knell for the genre itself; one that is becoming increasingly self-contained and regressive.

    Which puts pretty massive weight behind an album as slight and generally forgettable as Deathless Master doesn't it?

    Rating: 3/10

    Originally posted at http://curseofthegreatwhiteelephant.blogspot.com/