DEBODIFIED were formed by Jordan Varela (also in the ranks of LUST OF DECAY) in late 2000, alongside guitarist Chris Braunstein. The two musicians set high goals in trying to create the most intense manifestation of Death Metal possible. The debut full-length, Utopia in the Eyes of a Beast, was preceded by a successful 5-song demo which granted DEBODIFIED a deal with Comatose Music. This is the point where Jarrod Sternes joins the band to fulfill his function as a bassist.

«Intense» is a good word to describe the album (although not quite as intense as they would have it), characteristically American in nature (and for once I mean this in a positive sense): technical, brutal and grunted through and through. Drums are good, guitars are now and then hypnotizing, and the songs sound well thought-out. There are breaks, dragged rhythms of chaos, but mostly Death Metal violence. For fans of DISGORGE, IMMOLATION, DISAVOWED or DYING FETUS.

Conceptually, DEBODIFIED are heavily war-inspired, and the cover artwork (by Jon Zig) reflects the album title – my view of Utopia in the eyes of a beast can also be illustrated by the war panzers, helicopters and related warfare, dictating the onslaught and mutilated, maimed and burning human corpses. The everlasting struggle against the Human scum – innocent or not. Or maybe the Beast is none other than the very person who holds a speech at the beginning of Terminated with Prejudice – Mr Adolf “Swine” Hitler.

Recorded October 2002 at the Soundlab Studio, produced by DEBODIFIED and engineered by Joey Rhyme, Utopia… features Jay Barnes (of LUST OF DECAY) on backing vocals (Instinct for Malevolence).

But I might as well have conjugated the verbs in the Past Tense – you see, DEBODIFIED was disbanded two months after the release of Utopia in the Eyes of a Beast, due to turmoil within the band. This is the band’s legacy. And it is a killer.

Myspace Debodified

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The fact that this band is composed by young men (nowadays at the age of 20 or so) has more or less hindered them from having a wider recognition in the past. Most people seemed not to take their efforts seriously. However, after the release of the Cemeterial Gardens  demo in 1997, it became clear that the band were playing more than just standard, faithful-to-the-roots Death Metal. Decapitated’s nowadays almost consecrated status slowly gained its firm roots with the release of yet another demo (The Eye Of Horus) in 1998 and their debut album Winds of Creation through Earache‚Wicked World in 2000.

Nihility is the second opus created by this four-member act. I believe all the expectation around the album is more than justifiable. They benefited greatly from the fact that they attend a music school, and as a proof, you have flawless, technical Death Metal at your availability, from the guitars to the drums.

Some obvious comparisons to Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel must be established, but it is not at all some sort of copy or plagiarism. It is only a proof that their sources of inspiration are very good. Decapitated also have their very own sense of mature morbidness and there does not lack the hypnotic riffing, allied to a very heavy production.

In a total playing time of 35:07 minutes, their 8 tracks are a sample of genuinely well played technical, inventive and progressive Brutal Death Metal. Favourite tracks are Mother War, Nihility (Anti-Human Manifesto) and Spheres of Madness. In Nihility you can actually feel Armageddon is coming nearer, in pieces, accompanied by gradual threats of annihilation. In Spheres O Madness (a slower-tempo song) you just go berzerk with the intro. The other tracks are Perfect Dehumanisation (The Answer), Eternity Too Short, Names, Babylon’s Pride and Symmetry Of Zero.

The more I listen to the album, the more addicting it becomes. All in all, it is a very refreshing release as it comes to well-played Death Metal. The fact that the musicians attend music schools does not prevent the true feeling from being there as, alas!, so often happens with (virtuoso) musicians.

Amongst so many Death Metal bands that arose after Vader, Decapitated seem to be THE honourable successors to Poland’s (maybe even Europe’s) Death Metal throne. You should be on your knees, begging for an opportunity to see them live. Well I have and am certainly awaiting future concerts!

Official Site Decapitatedband.net | Myspace Decapitated

Note from the Editor: The band had a van accident while touring in russia and Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka the drummer of the band, and one of the best kick ass drummers i have ever listen has died, if you want to help his and other bandmates families you can do so by going here, thank you… you will be missed… now freakin enjoy his awesome work on Spheres of Madness

Decapitated - Spheres Of Madness

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Seems Death/Trash is in, Dew-Scented are a German Death/Trash outfit, kinda blasting growling kind of thing hehehe, not that that’s bad at all, hehehe, so here comes “Incinerate”, lets have a look to see how it handles itself.

Humm the album starts with a small intro “Exordium” nice and slow building up for “Vanish Away” one thing is for sure, blasting and growling is what you get, cant say that this isn’t pretty tight, there is enough variation and musicianship, but it all seems like a generic track for this kind of music, “Final Warning” is different, at least that… (I’m kinda afraid cause there is a tendency for repetition…), pretty headbanging music… very thrashy Slayer like feel to it… just the vocals … they seem to be the least engaging part of the track for me, “That’s Why I Despise You” is a little more of the same, what starts to be a trend is the overwhelming speed… all the tracks seem to be in a hurry.

“The Fraud” humm well i might say its a bit of the same, “Into The Arms Of Misery” is again more of the same, i guess ill skip to some highlights of the rest of the album, “Contraddictions” is a pretty tight tune… probably one of my favorites, really sweet guitar work also “Retain The Scars” is quite brutal… again great guitar/drum work, hell seems the best is really towards the end.

Humm thrash… well i can say that Dew-Scented don’t take anything out, they actually put a lot in, but in my opinion, not enough to escape the too generic clause, its like going to a drive in cinema… its good clean fun, but if you go to a fucking IMAX with digital picture, digital sound that will melt your brain… yeah thats way more bang for the buck, so i guess is you like it raw with all the gritty messy brutal thrash… then what are you waiting for?

Official Site Dew-Scented

Dew-Scented - That’s Why I Despise You

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DEATH DU JOUR was conjured up by TK (guitar, vocals), OM (guitar, backing vocals), PB (bass) and TF (drums) in early 2000 and have already a debut EP on the way (Gamashinoch). Fragments of Perdition follows on the path shown in the debut, but the approach is more technical, more chaotic, grinder and heavier.

An introduction that reminded me the soundtrack to The Dark Eye (Pc Game based on Edgar Allan Poe’s tales, particularly The Cask of Amontillado) was certainly a mood-setter. However, it did not prepare me for the brutal assault represented by Grace by Chalice of Anger. Fierce, brutal death metal – the way it is supposed to be. The band’s conceptual dimension is simply quoted as «Hate, Anguish and Egoism towards humanity and all its forms». This expression of this disdain is perfectly mirrored in the band’s aggressiveness – but it is an «orderly» aggressiveness, with song-structures without an apparent pattern, but well thought-out. There is a healthy amount of influences in the songs – from MORBID ANGEL to CRYPTOPSY and CANNIBAL CORPSE. In the end, the songs are varied and some riffs are really good and morbid. We are dealing with skilled musicians here and, while not being necessarily a breath of fresh air in the Death Metal scene, Fragments of Perdition is still worth the listen. The formula is successful in the band’s music.in addition to good music is the good production (Pop-Studio, Mika Haapasalo).

Fan Site Mikseri.net - Death du Jour

Death du Jour - Harlot Deliverance
Death du Jour - Triangle Gallows

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