Opprobrium

Black/death metal walks at arm’s length to mediocrity, sometimes embracing it gleefully and at other times stepping in and out of the mire at regular intervals. As a result, some albums are salvageable while others are laid to rest rather quickly. The approach to creating black/death varies from band to band. It is a static genre and the interesting bands are the ones which incorporate and showcase riffs, give direction to their songs and are not stationary. I think in a genre where boundaries have been already solidified, it pays to stick to the basic structure of making it riff dominant. Destruktor do exactly that. They are one of those bands who don’t hide behind the murky one-dimensional song patterns.

The riffs and drums are crystal clear on the record as the band takes the listener on a ride with riffs blazing left, right and center and never deviating from its course. Destruktor keep it tight throughout with riffs and blastbeats working in complete sync without overpowering each other. The pummeling effect is amplified and is held together solidly by the vocals as well. The best thing about the songs is that they do not sound one-dimensional. Yes, similarities between songs exist and are easily detectable during the course of the album, but they are made up for by clever changes in tempo and riff patterns. Songs do not stay on the same course for an extended period of time and although the parts move in cycles, the great riffs in there ensure a great experience. The band has got the duration of the album and the length of songs spot on, unlike ‘Nailed’ which was a bit lengthy. Surprisingly, the band also gets into a bit of melodic mode in their last song ‘Forever the Blood shall flow’ and they pull it off with ease, as it is the best song on this album with some super riffs in the middle.

So, Destruktor manage to create one of the best black/death albums in recent memory. This is not a 123,123, 123 and repeat pattern album, something which a band like Black Witchery does. The band keeps things interesting in all the songs and is sure to garner some praise from other forums.

Also written for metalbase.in