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By JEFF MAKI
I have longed thought that Entombed's classic death metal album Clandestine had the most sinister, downtuned, coolest-sounding guitars ever recorded. I've been on a search for that sound that rips through my speakers ever since. My search finally has ended with another long-running, prominent Swedish metal band. Dismember's new self titled album is “true Swedish death metal,” just as it is marketed. This fucker is fast and brutal. And the guitars! My god, the guitars! They make me cringe. Dismember formed way back in 1988 and is credited with helping to propel the death metal genre. Every once in a while, music apparently needs one of its veterans to step forward and deliver the new school a swift kick in the ass. Death metal is no exception.
Take one listen to the death metal track of the year, “Under a Blood Red Sky,” and that's all you need. Starting with Dismember's signature guttural death metal sound, the song triumphantly ends with a melodic guitar harmony, making this the equivalent of a death metal Iron Maiden. “Hills Have Eyes” is straight-up, old-school death with a jackhammer rhythm and grooves guaranteed to raise your adrenaline level. “Legion” is a battle cry for followers to raise Dismembers colors and march to war. “No Honor in Death” slows up to a “Black Sabbath” brooding crawl, displaying the band's versatility—something lacking in today's death metal artists. Of course, they quickly return to Mach 5 with “To End It All.” “Dark Depths” sounds remarkably similar to that band I mentioned earlier—Entombed. The ending of “Black Sun” has one of the most badass guitar riffs. The riff alone speaks volumes to the listener, letting us know that Dismember is nowhere near finished. It sounds like a challenge to other acts to match their domination. When you listen to this album you need to put away furniture and any breakable items, clear out a large work space and kindly escort women and children out of the room.
Dismember owns. Enough said.
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