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Experiment Fear > Assuming the Godform > Reviews
Experiment Fear - Assuming the Godform

Execution is as vital as originality - 90%

Geoffy, August 10th, 2014
Written based on this version: 1995, CD, Massacre Records

Experiment Fear is one of the more obscure American death metal bands from the 90's that never really did take off and just faded and aren't as well known, even in the underground scene.

They play a style of death metal that is reminiscent of the Floridian scene, but with more frequent changes in time signature. After the intro track, Thy Will is Strong, they kick things off with the title track, which is one of their more straightforward tracks on the album, not as technical as the rest of the non-acoustic songs. Plenty of tremolo riffing to go by and the drums hammer away, along with an incredibly melodic solo with tasteful use of tapping on the fretboard, which is always an excellent show of skill. The vocals employed sound a bit like a mix of Deicide's self-titled and Legion vocal styles, somewhat shouted, somewhat growled(obviously minus the pitch shifter). Things start to stir up more by the time Shallow Disbelief rolls around as the riffs feel as if they spiral around you, while mixing up tempo and the drums roll along and switching up their rhythmic offering. The bass sometimes rings up and adds a bit of a rumbling to the music and certainly gets the job done.

Comatose is one of the more mid-paced songs and has those catchy churning riffs that you just bang your head to in rhythm to the music, with an occasional burst of speed and intensity. They certainly mix things up in their music and always manage to pull of a melodic solo that doesn't impose itself onto the music, but actually flows along with it, enhancing the song.

The acoustic tracks such as Thy Flesh is Weak are also a nice touch and I wish those were more prominent in death metal bands, as they give a nice melancholy touch to their album(s), like adding a dab of coolness to relax the flames that is the death metal that assaults your ears relentlessly, or the calm before a storm.

Overall, I'd give this a 90/100 as it's some great (technical)death metal done right, even though it isn't the most original or innovative, it still shows that you can put out excellent material that doesn't have to reinvent the wheel to stay in your head and be incredibly enjoyable. I would rather material that is well-executed over material that is unique, but isn't captivating.

Decent American death metal - 80%

rexxz, June 28th, 2008

Experiment Fear is a relatively unknown death metal band from America, persuing musical styles closely related to the Florida death metal scene. The closest comparison of sound that comes to mind is early Deicide, yet on this album they seem to deversify their rhythms and tempos a lot more than the aforemention band. "Assuming the Godform" takes on a rather conventional approach, a tried and true style. However what they do is of good quality, and any hints of unoriginality should be of no concern to any true fan of the old American death metal sound.

The basis of the music is of course the riffs, very aggressive riffs. I think it should be noted that where many death metal bands fail is that they do not vary themselves enough to remain interesting. There is always an abundance of very creative and, on an individual level, compelling riffs. The fault is that they are not as effective when strung back to back, because the sound just becomes predictable. Experiment Fear has caught on to this and in doing so they create songs that will the appropriate ostinato where it fits. The percussion is more complementary to the guitars opposed to standing out on its own, but this is not a bad thing. Drumming is very much present in the mix and in the composition, but what I mean is that they do not really compete for the attention of the listener.

I absolutely love the entire production of this cd. Being a rather avid engineer myself, I really appreciate how well the sounds go together. This is a rather gruff sounding album, but at the same time it does not sound like it was just thrown together in some garage, it truly has the professional full length touch to it. Death metal has always been a genre that just sounds gruff and dirty, and it's a very incredibly thing to behold when an album can capture that essence and at the same time have a very competent mix.

In the end I believe that "Assuming the Godform" will perhaps always remain in the shadow of the underground, not having anything to standout from the rest of the older pioneers of American death metal, but it certainly has its place among those who played and still play quality metal with real character.