For those expecting (or wanting) more of the brutal death metal that made up Detrimentum's debut, Embracing This Deformity, they may well find themselves disappointed by this, their sophomore album, INHUMAN disgRACE. The band's multiple line-up changes have led to the two mainstays, Paul Wilkinson and Jonathan Butlin, being joined by Anaal Nathrakh live drummer Steve Powell, and with a machine like that behind them, Wilkinson and Butlin can do little wrong. His capacity for complex lines that fortify the battery, add shade to the darkness and colour the clean(-ish) passages mean that the band's sound has evolved to exploit each members striking abilities. With the more traditional death metal riffage come a distinct shift in vocal style, the concrete-masticating death growls are accompanied by the occasional clean vocal and clean guitar passages which enhance the songs with deeper dimensions and augment the album's overall aesthetic. The riffs and rhythms are astounding, layered with melancholic lines, black metal tremolo-picked riffs, and waves of complex interplay between the band members that make the structures nothing less than solid. The disappointment then will only be in the sense that their stylistic development has given the band a wider scope to display not just their technical abilities but their ability to craft tracks that are both intricate and much wider in scope.
A myriad of styles throughout, this album is both progressive and brutal. Compare the scope displayed in 'Ascension' or that of 'The Journeyman's Lament' with 'Dark Eye' or 'Disillusion Ethos' from their debut for examples of not just how the band's sound has evolved, but of how their musicianship has room to breathe. Melodic, brutal, technical, the tracks here are well-crafted and their primary focus on the music means that this shows a significant change for Detrimentum: they were a great band before, but now they are even better.
Track Listing:
- The Crimson Legacy
- Pestilence Shared With The Worms
- Ascension
- Effigies Of The Silent Kings
- In The Shadow Of The Cross We Burn
- The Journeyman's Lament
- Dominus Detrimentum
- Mine Is The Glory (Wretched Release)
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