Defabricated Process

So here we have the one and only full-length album from the ridiculously underground and now defunct Death Metal act Nerlich. I could never fathom why this band didn’t receive more attention than they did, as Technical Death Metal has exploded in popularity lately and these guys play the style as forefather’s Atheist and the like intended it.

What struck me at first on “Defabricated Process” was just how bloody neck crunching the riffs are, these guys clearly bow down to the altar of acts such as Demilich and Adramelech, although you can hear strands of acts such as Morbid Angel, Nocturnus and the aforementioned Atheist. What helps sell these riffs are how well constructed they are, blending the snakes and ladder style palm muted riffs Technical Death Metal acts swear by, with the European style tremolo riffing and the post-Thrash smash of the US guard. The lead guitar work is well utilized, never overbearing but certainly frequent enough to please the ardent shred nut.

Vocals are placed right in the midst of the mix, and the style blends the ethereal Finnish style with a David Vincent ala “Altars of Madness” style approach. The rhythm section here is a tight and focused unit, with the bass being allowed moments to break out from the mix and shine, where as the drums rattle away through a serious of standard Death Metal style beats and fills, although snapping into more complex rhythms when called upon. Tracks such as “Entity Of Sickness” and the title track best demonstrate what Nerlich are capable of.

The production is ideal, and retains some of that Finnish magic heard in some of the countries classic old school Death Metal acts. The sound is natural and ferocious, and really gives the “Defabricated Process” its identity. Nerlich do very little wrong here, and the album is as solid a release as you will hear in the genre. There are enough memorable moments across the eight tracks here to keep your attention, and for fans of the genre more than enough to keep you coming back for more.

It’s a shame Nerlich couldn’t continue much longer after “Defabricated Process” as some of the ideas brought forth on tracks such as “Mask for the Faceless” were genuinely brilliant, and I would have loved to have seen it expanded on. Destined to become a lost gem, that just misses classic territory. Nerlich don’t break any new ground here; they do however, provide a solid release that can stand up with the early Technical Death Metal guard. A damn site cooler than the overtly masturbatory crap being passed off as “Tech-Death” these days, I’d 100% recommend checking this out to any Death Metal enthusiast.

Originally written for http://www.metal-observer.com

Defabricated Process is quite a mix of death metal aesthetics to say the least. However, they are not without their concrete influences. I suppose you could say the obvious influence would be the old school Finnish bands being as Nerlich is from Finland. In particular Demilich, however, it doesn’t exactly shine through with a spotlight, if you know what I mean. Regardless, I would say they do have a touch of Demilich-esque riffing going on. And I mean, after all, lich is right in their name, so come on.

As for the sound of Defabricated Process, there are a few other bands that they remind me of in essence. I would say, as surprising as this may be (or maybe not), would be Gorod. Yes, Nerlich does remind me of Gorod quite a bit. To me, Defabricated Process tends to get technical at times and use some of those Gorod style squeals, pops and slaps (and whatever else). However, at other times they remind me of a mixture of Adramelech and Slugathor. Their less technical sections seem to grind and riff in a Slugathor manner, which is a deep and organic sound without a lot of variety, but still melodic and catchy. I don’t want to give readers the wrong impression though about Nerlich, they have their own ideas and their own style, of course. However, I suppose their influences show a bit more than I’m used to hearing in some areas of Defabricated Process. I suppose when you listen to a lot of old school material that is actually old school, their influences can be less clear, as they didn’t have quite as many bands to borrow from and the aesthetics are not so concrete as they are now. For example, I would not have any ideas on the influences of the sound of Nespithe. Sure, Demilich had influences, as every band does, but as for the sound, there really isn’t anything like it.

Another aspect that Defabricated Process has is quite a bit of audible bass, which is a nice added touch to the production. I would say the production is generally clear, but doesn’t lose that heavy aggressive feel that some bands manage to do when overproducing, say like Necrophagist. You can hear just about everything that is going on though and it is clear, but not crystal clear, which I think does work well for their style and gives it a somewhat unique touch. The production on the guitar work does have a bit of a heavy and muddy touch, giving it a bit of brutality. However, had the production been done differently, without giving it a clear shine, I think it would have made the album a bit more brutal, which I suppose is good or bad from your perspective. I personally, would like to hear how this album played out with a more primitive style of production.

The drumming on Defabricated Process is quite good, and varied enough to stay interesting. Since the guitars have a bit of technicality, the drummer tends to throw in quite a bit of rolls, but manages to stay within the confines of the guitar work quite well. The drumming never detracts from the focus, which is most often the rhythm of the bass and melodic guitar leads. There is quite a bit of double bass usage, but the drummer often switches to quick single kick beats as well. On ‘Mask of the Faceless’, there is an interesting section towards the end that drops everything except the drumming and vocals for several seconds. This part is particularly memorable because of how surprising it is and its shear primitiveness.

The vocals on Defabricated Process help to add some otherworldly brutality that is much needed due to the production style. This isn’t to say they are in the vein of Antti Boman’s literally alien performance on Nespithe, but they do have a bit of a raspy ghoulish sound to them, not overly guttural, but certainly heavy and a bit creepy. They fit the riffing style quite well is what I’m trying to say.

The guitar riffing on Defabricated Process at times are very exquisite and most certainly the highlight. Nerlich tends to throw in some guitar solos that are excellent and give it that bit of technicality. This aspect of Defabricated Process is what reminds me of Gorod at times. However, their biggest similarities I would say are with Slugathor when they aren’t technical and are simply riffing in rhythm, as I said earlier. In addition, some of their guitar melodies take influence from Adramelech. I suppose you could say there is a smooth blending of styles between Slugathor and Adramelech to be found on Defabricated Process, along with Nerlich’s own unique ideas of production.

Defabricated Process is a very good album, certainly an album that I have enjoyed, having that touch of old school Finnish atmosphere and melody. I would most certainly recommend this album to anyone that is a fan of the Finnish death metal scene, especially those of Slugathor and Adramelech. Considering this is Nerlich’s debut full-length it is quite an accomplishment, and I would have loved to see where they went from here, maybe they will get back together, one can only hope.