Thursday, September 29, 2011

Undergang: Indhentet af Døden (2010)

Review

CD cover
Some people say the well of old-school death metal is dry. Don't listen to them: It's like an ever flowing stream. (I love puns.)


Denmark's Undergang released their debut Indhentet af Døden ("overtaken by death") last year to no fanfare. Perhaps that's because it was first released on a 100 cassette run, and then only on a vinyl run of 500. It has finally been brought out on CD, and it's sure to be noticed.


Why? What sets it apart from the dozens (or hundreds) of other OSDM releases coming out this year? Well, the most obvious distinction is that the lyrics are in their native Danish. That would be just about enough to get me on board right there. But more importantly, their musical approach is distinct.

Vinyl cover
Undergang's album can succinctly be described as Obituary twisted by Demilich. The sound is classic Obituary, with ultra-deep death growls over a mostly mid-paced death metal crush. The bass guitar gives it a strong backbone. All that is mixed up with some weird Demilich riffs and time signature changes--just enough to keep it unexpected, but not enough to turn off those who don't like their music weird.


The Verdict: This is one of my favorite OSDM releases I've heard this year. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

4 comments:

  1. Wow, that bass really stands out there. Too much metal cuts out that big bottom end.

    I shook my head in shame when I read your pun, though. I just thought you should know that...

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  2. Tolkien felt that puns are the highest form of humor. I agree with him.

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  3. Great album, probably one of the heaviest of the year along w/ Disma.

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  4. If this gets mentioned in the same breath as Disma, I have to give it a spin.

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