Cutting the Throat of God

The seventh album from brave New Zealand death metal experimentalists Ulcerate, can be considered as a logical continuation of their previous "Stare into Death and Be Still". If that opus was marked by softening in pressing listeners with dissonance, then the new work clearly marks Ulcerate's turn towards melody.

The melodic thread running through each song was the shtick of "Stare into Death and Be Still" as well, but now it has become refined and even a bit catchy. Of course, these are not at all the melodies that are involved, for example, in atmospheric black metal: nothing but pulsating climactic peaks/stabs during dissonant licks work for Ulcerate; well, except the only traditional piercing tremolo melody over a blastbeat in the finale of 'To See Death Just Once'. As it became a tradition since "The Destroyers of All", the new album is almost one continuous song, conventionally divided into several tracks. This effect is achieved seemingly by creating all the songs according to the same scheme.

Abundant vocals on the verge of growling are heard against the background of this looping dissonant purgatory with a melancholic melodic plot. Yes, by reason that dissonances have become more insinuating, Ulcerate's music can be called trance and even ambient now. Really, it doesn't matter what kind of drum part is played, a languid groove or a blastbeat, the doomed drone effect is the same everywhere. This is a contradictory and even provocative manoeuvre, which can both hypnotize and irritate listeners. This is another test for strong-willed metalheads.

Metalegion # 15