Artist: Decrepit Birth
Title: Polarity
Genre: Death Metal
Release Date: 23rd July 2010
Label: Massacre Records
Album Review
Many fans called DECREPIT BIRTH’s ‘Diminishing between Worlds’ a masterpiece of technical death metal. It was intense, it was catchy, and featured skills that only seasoned musicians could accomplish. Several years later, DECREPIT BIRTH returns with their third album, ‘Polarity’. Since their first album in 2003 they have evolved and tweaked their sound, trying to find the right notch. ‘Polarity’ is that notch. It is just as brutal as ‘Diminishing between Worlds’ but features a lot more melody and variation between tracks so they don’t seem boring or generic. DECREPIT BIRTH knows better than to try and cash in on the success of one track because soon enough that magic dries up fast. No, ‘Polarity’ is fresh and slightly original with a few new twists to really keep fans happy.
One of the biggest noticeable changes of DECREPIT BIRTH’s style is the instrumental ‘Darkness Embrace’. It isn’t super technical, but focuses more on long, haunting chords and a synth in the background, creating an epic death metal feeling. This is the first sign that perhaps the band is going to focus more on melody this time around, but also lets fans know that it will be just as intense. Eventually the track fades to silence and there‘s that annoying useless bit of wasted track. However, ‘Symbiosis’ has all the features that make DECREPIT BIRTH so good. The vocals are brutal, the solos wild, and the drumming certainly technical enough. When the guitars aren’t lost in their solos- quick but amazing- they are crunching out blast beats and breakdown riffs like no tomorrow, but they do it in different arrangements so the listener won’t get bored out of their mind from hearing the same riff over and over fifteen times. ‘Sea Of Memories’ isn’t as technical, but features a bit more chugging melody and when the solos hit they really sound great and clear. ‘A Brief Odyssey in Time’ features the synth again and some buzzing analogue amongst the crunching death metal. The track lives up to its name but the experimental aspect is something new for DECREPIT BIRTH. Don’t expect gems like these to come around much.
‘Solar Pulse’ is another interesting instrumental the features some piano near the middle along with the keyboards. The track features a lot of technical signatures from the guitars as well some chugging. There’s some vocal work too, but they only occur briefly, letting the listener focus on the guitars and their melodies. The solos involved are blistering. The title track is just chock full of melodic solos along with some rhythmic drumming that could peel the skin off. In terms of speed and precision, this one is probably the most precise track on the album due to the balance of sheer brutality but also skill with the guitars. “Resonance” focuses more on the brutal side of death metal rather than the technical and opts for a chugging rhythm to support the vocal barks while featuring a solo every once in a while. The drums are on pure machine gun mode in this one. Finally, “A Departure Of The Sun” features some great melodies as the guitars play off each other before the drums jump in for a short bit, and then things turn acoustic, which really allows the band to show off what they can do with the guitars.
Of course, DECREPIT BIRTH would not be the brutal death metal they are today if they closed on a soft note, and eventually the melodic ferocity is back as the guitars rip and tear across the drums. Vocals are present too, but like the earlier track, holds back a bit and only barks out a few times, as the goal of Polarity is to demonstrate the instrumental skills. Fans already know that the vocalist can sound like a pure monster. Old fans of DECREPIT BIRTH will certainly not be disappointed. While the album is short, as each track averages less than two minutes, it allows the band to really show the flavour of their technical skill and match it with the fury of death metal. New fans will love this album if they enjoy the likes of IMMOLATION, PSYCROPTIC, or ABYSSAL DAWN. While the album isn’t technical enough to make one’s head explode, it features plenty of psychotic breakdowns and melodies that will make anyone’s head spin while head banging.
Tracklist
01. (A Departure of the Sun) Ignite The Tesla Coil (6:34)
02. Meatron (4:14)
03. Resonance (3:45)
04. Polarity (4:27)
05. Solar Impulse (2:55)
06. Mirroring Dimensions (3:37)
07. A Brief Odyssey in Time (1:03)
08. The Quickening of Time (2:43)
09. Sea Of Memories (2:23)
10. Symbiosis (4:25)
11. Darkness Embrace (2:28)
Line-up
Bill Robinson - Vocals
Matt Sotelo - Guitars, Vocals
Joel Horner - Bass
Website
http://www.myspace.com/decrepitbirth
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
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