Macabra: Blood-Nurtured Nature

Blood-Nurtured Nature is a creative collaboration between the American death metal illustrator Mark Riddick and the Belgian vocalist Adrien "Liquifier" Weber. Both these guys have already contributed a great deal to the death metal scene: Riddick's horror-inspired illustrations have been in circulation for nearly 20 years and Weber has contributed growling vocals to several bands, including Conjurator, Fetid Zombie, and many others. On this recording, Weber provides the vocals and words while Riddick plays the instruments (including programming the drum machine). I was impressed with the overall sound quality of this recording, especially since the mix sounds like a full band playing tougher rather than two guys laying down individual parts. I like it when small groups can create such a large sound. I don't know whether Macabra will take their music on the road, but they have nevertheless created a compelling recording that nods to old school Death Metal effectively. There isn't anything new here, but the point of Blood-Nurtured Nature isn't to re-invent the genre; instead, Macabra wants to contribute more music to a sound that long-term fans will both recognize and embrace.

I don't listen to Death Metal as often as I do thrash or sludge. When I do put it on, though, I am usually drawn to bands where vocals can be occasionally understood, where the music takes advantage of twin-guitar harmonies, and where the risk of endless droning is avoided by playing with new tempos, riffs, and chord changes. I was impressed with Blood-Nurtured Nature mostly because the songwriting showed a definite interest in discovering some of the variety Death Metal may offer, despite its seemingly limited musical offerings. I suppose this was why I was very much drawn to the second half of the album. This is a group that doesn't repeat the tropes of Death Metal mindlessly; instead, they've created something simultaneously fresh and old fashioned.

Track Listing:
1. Life is the Symptom
2. Fragments of Torpor
3. Hominal Peel Diggers
4. Blood-Nurtured Nature
5. Consuming the Fleshly Wax
6. Thick Slabs of Moribund Fat
7. Contribution to your Dis-Elaboration
8. Exile of Sanity

Added: January 8th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: More Information
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Language: english

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