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Typical of its time - 85%
Azrael are a rather obscure act emanating form Switzerland. The first thing you will notice about this album is its relatively clear production quality which is something often lost on death metal obscurities.
It is awesome stuff. Very much in the influence of Death and at times heavier, more brutal acts. It makes the rounds in the death metal spectrum, never really losing steam though perhaps grinding on for a touch too long. They use every trick in their disposal, from gloomy atmospherics, to torturous grooves, to thrashing grind sections. It is a masterwork in streamlining death metal. For the most part it is a Florida-influenced rager, at times taking notes from the Dutch and Germans. And while these guys never strike true originality, all the reveling they do in the classics is worthy of attention.
I feel like the album is a bit lacking in the solo department. Perhaps this is what keeps the overall presentation a touch down form the genre's best. The guitarists are fine as they are but they don't bring a lot to the table musically. Their main focus being emulating their heroes. In the vocal department we have a sound by T. Hades that is kind of Max Cavalera meets death metal. It is tasteful and not very obnoxious.
The band gets a bit silly with the title track which is probably along with the intro the bleakest moment of the album. It does blast into a rater tasty brutal track Euthanasia. The album ends rather fast and heavily until the finale with Overlord which is a nearly 10 minute death metal masquerade, though perhaps not the tastiest bit here. It does bring some much needed variation to close a fairly lengthy album in death metal terms.
I think at the end of the day the two tracks after the intro would be my favorites. One bringing the Floridian vibe, the other a more brutal and gloomy Euro vibe. Throughout the entire release you will hear bits of familiarity as it is a streamlined and classy work of death metal.
Recommended tracks: Inauguration of the Common Death, Reduced to Ashes, Crucify the Raven, Euthanasia Overlord.
