Exacerbated Gnostic Manifestation

And what have we got? Death metal from Chile taking heavy inspiration from old-school Florida. For those of you not familiar with the Florida style, it’s typically based on simple riffs, so expect a lot of tremolo picking and power-chord running with a melody thrown in here and there. Like most death metal, any hooks contained are supplied by the guitars, which there are quite a few of in this case, all supported by your standard death metal drum beats, you know, lots of double base running and blast beats. It’s never insanely fast, and boy can that snare drum clank like a can at times, but for the most part, the point is driven home.

The major downsides are of course is that if you’ve heard any death metal on the generic side, then you’ve heard this album before, although the sheer catchiness of many of those riffs (with the melodic moments standing out the most) offsets what you’ve heard before. There’s that slightly loose delivery which could be a downside, or upside depending on how you look at it. The production is good enough, so perhaps the hint of a loose execution adds to the underground persona. Then of course there’s that damn snare drum…

Originally posted at www.waytooloud.com

Like most death metal out there, this band is good but not great. They are good enough players, and have some good riffs here and there, but not much in the way of really good writing. While they certainly don't suck, the overall effect is of the band madly flailing about and trying their best to be as heavy and crazed and extreme as possible, with a pronounced Morbid Angel feel rearing its ugly head now and again. Not a bad thing, but the distinct character MA are known for is lacking here. The songs tend to roar by in a furious blur, like most bands of this sort these days, sadly.

On the positive side of things, the production is actually rather good, clear enough so that you can hear the bass pretty well for once, the drum sound is not overly triggered, and they've a good, crunchy guitar tone. There is also one really, really killer song on display here, ending track "Deflagracion" (the only track in their native Spanish, too); the riffs in this number show the potential lurking beneath the band's manic approach. Its ominous opening with thundering tom-toms, sustained chords ringing out menacingly, and an evil bass riff that really provides forward motion until the song proper kicks in and really shows how Thornafire can write something really good if they apply themselves. Which I think they have the potential to do, write better material and elevate themselves to the next level. Also, bassist Alexia Munoz has a truly evil vocal style, a gurgling growl reminiscent of the great Jeff Becerra, but deeper and more guttural. His bass abilities are actually a cut above average, too, which is a nice touch.

The rest of the album, as I said, just kind of blazes by and doesn't leave much of an impression, which is too bad. If Thornafire can keep writing good material like "Deflagracion" they may well get noticed by more folks in the future. I wish them luck, as the potential is there.