Homicidal Rapture

Well, I had a very nice impression of this album. Judging by the name those guys took for the band, I confess I was expecting some cheesy stuff, as those 'splatter' acts, with very rare exceptions, often put out crappy records. To my surprise, they play some decent death metal, kind of a blend of Malevolent Creation and Dying Fetus, though it would be unfair to throw such high expectations upon this rookie group. Taking into account this is their debut, they have just impressed me very positively.

On the production issues, one could tell that 'Homicidal Rapture' is ok; it surely doesn't look like it was recorded on The Abyss studios, neither it sounds amateur or something. The drums sound a little bit odd (the snare being somehow too 'opaque'), the bass is not as present as it should be... details that don't mess at all the record. On the other hand, guitars are indeed crunchy enough and the vocals are definitely the high spot here.

When it comes to songwriting, you'll be surprised about how catchy those songs can be. 'Obliteration Of Mass Deceit' is definetly a powerful starter, with riffs sharp like a razor and an energetic performance from the drummer. Other highlights of the effort include 'Psychoactive Heritage' - wonder if those chorus will ever leave my head someday - and 'Abiogenesis', where the band succesfully delivers something different than their general offering.

All thing considered, I really found 'Homicidal Rapture' to be a fine piece from these brazilian blokes, keeping up with their country's tradition of bringing out classy stuff like Sepultura, Krisiun and others. Right, I agree they have a long way to follow, this is by no means an album that can be compared with the classics of the genre. However, Lacerated And Carbonized undeniably proved themselves to be a band worth keeping an eye on.