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Decapitated: Organic Hallucinosis

Surely Decapitated had a huge task to fulfill after they made an amazing death metal statement in the form of 2004's The Negation, heralded by many as a classic and perhaps their most powerful effort. After the somewhat untimely departure of Sauron, the band is now with a new singer. My prediction is that some Decapitated fans are going to like Adrian Kowanek's style, while others will miss Sauron terribly. Kowanek's singing is a bit more intelligible than Sauron's but overall he lacks the power and fire of his predecessor, especially when his singing becomes a bit too predictable after hearing the first couple of songs.

That said, considering the music on Organic Hallucinosis, which is utterly technical and far more challenging than their previous work, Kowanek fits the bill a lot better than Sauron ever would. What made The Negation so strong was its immediacy and somewhat simplicity. The songs were direct and not as intricate, but they yielded tons of power and energy, rarely heard on other Euro death metallers' albums. Organic Hallucinosis sees the Polish ensemble growing into a more calculated entity. The songs seem a lot more pre-planned and rehearsed. The speedy drumming and mathematical rhythm guitars are commanded with utmost ease, and the bass is possibly at its heaviest yet. Generally, the songs are unbelievably heavy, reeking of Meshuggah meets earlier Napalm Death. "Post( ?) Organic" begins with slow, grinding riffs, but immediately turns into one of the heaviest death metal pieces Decapitated have ever created. It also features a heavy guitar solo and multiple stop-start parts. "Revelation of Existence" and "Visual Delusion" have similar intros that recall the first Fear Factory album, in the way they both contain industrial-tinged guitar textures. However, the former is more of an American death metal style piece with war-like moments and razor-sharp riffs, and the latter is a bleak death metal anthem with epic overtones. This song also contains cold and serene moments where hollows of space are filled with weird spoken lyrics and creepy atmospheres. "Day 69" is a personal favourite, mainly because of the sick kick-drum solo the song entails. I also feel the lead guitars on this cut are slightly Nile-esque circa their very first album.

Organic Hallucinosis is a worthy addition to the Decapitated discography. However, where exactly it will stand in the long run is yet unknown. It is great that the guys are willing to push the limits of their talents and explore the more technical side of the genre though.

Track Listing

  1. A Poem About An Old Man
  2. Day 69
  3. Revelation of Existence (The Trip)
  4. Post (?) Organic
  5. Visual Delusion
  6. Flash- B(L)ACK
  7. Invisible Control

Added: September 18th 2006
Reviewer: Murat Batmaz
Score:
Related Link: Decapitated website
Hits: 4908
Language: english

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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Decapitated: Organic Hallucinosis
Posted by Ken Pierce, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-09-18 06:16:52
My Score:

Decapitated is probably one of the best purveyors of the Technical Death Metal bands around these days and it shows very well on their newest album Organic Hallucinosis. The band's raised their personal bar of musical acumen with this one especially in the way the drums and guitar riffs are laid down. It's done in such a fashion that one might assume that fans of Fear Factory will find quite a bit of their influence on this release – there is a strong industrial meets technical metal vibe that is happening on all the songs. Vocally there are some reminders of Behemoth but that is where the comparison ends. The membership roster finds Vogg (guitars), Covan (vocals), Martini (bass) and Witck (drums) putting their all into it. The bands oldest fans might miss Sauron (vocals who left in 2005) a little bit but this is too good a release to hang on to that sort of thing. Songs like "Revelation Of Existence" and "Day 69" stuck out the most for me based on the displays of musical ability performed. Bands like Decapitated help to change the way this kind of music is accepted and make it more acceptable to greater audiences this way. This edition is a limited edition dual disc which makes it all the more appealing for the bands fans. Side one is the audio, but side two is a full concert DVD that brings a performance from B.B. King Blues Club (New York City) right into your living room. Songs featured on the DVD are as follows: three Dimensional Defect, The Fury, Nihility, Negation, Lying And Weak, Spheres Of Madness and Mother War. Filmed at one of the bands support appearances, the 35 minute set from 7-11-2005 captures the band at the best and onstage in front of an intense crowd.

The only downside is that this is just over thirty minutes in length and that comes across as very disappointing. The album ends just as you were deeply into it. A lyrically loaded booklet is there to read and this inclusion of the DVD makes this a must have release for fans of this brand of Metal, so check it out. It might be on the short side but it is no way near a letdown.

Decapitated: Organic Hallucinosis
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-03-20 17:25:23
My Score:

The worst thing one can possibly say about Organic Hallucinosis, the latest from Poland's Decapitated, is the overall brevity of the album. At a mere seven songs and just about 30 minutes in length, it comes across more as a full blown EP than anything else, but judging by the power and technicality that is embroidered within each song, I'm willing to overlook that small item. Just like their fellow countrymen Vader and Behemoth, Decapitated seem to be getting better with age. New vocalist Covan has a ferocious death metal bark, but oddly enough you can understand almost everything he sings, and the drum work of Witck is insanely complex and machine gun fast. Coupled with the pulsating and heavy bass grooves from Martin gives each of these songs a huge bottom end not unlike Meshuggah or Fear Factory. As always though, it's the riffs that make or break any death metal album, and Vogg delivers in a big way. He's all over the pummeling "POST (/) ORGANIC" with huge, speedy chords and a blistering solo, and his relentless barrage of crushing yet intricate riffs propel "Visual Delusion" to an almost Vader-ish frenzy.

Simply stated, there's not a bad song here. Despite the fact that you only get roughly a half-hour of music, most of the songs are in the 4-5 minute range, and chock full of everything we all love about brutal and technical death metal. Plus, I'm totally digging the cover art from Seth-what it is I don't know, but it's pretty damn cool.


» Reader Comments:

Decapitated: Organic Hallucinosis
Posted by Hugh Dark on 2007-01-02 08:15:33
My Score:

This cd may be short, but lets stop kidding ourselves as it is certainly their best. This pseudo allegiance to the early material is carried over from the "novelty" of their young age at the beginning of their career. This is something that could limit their growth if they were not so smart to the ramifications. In fact, in this regard, they are truly precocious! They now have a singer who is more dynamic and that is in keeping with the improved dynamics of the music itself. I suspect that Covan will become more experimental on the next release and this will ensure that the band does not become a parody of itself or the genre they represent. Actually, the genre is becoming more "progressive thrash" in delivery as there is a decrease in the amount of tremolo picked riffs and and an increase of very strategically-syncopated chord strutures. It's plain to see that many in the death metal field are growing tired of delivering the same thing. Just see output by Satyricon and I for an example of experimentation. For me, the only thing about this cd that was a letdown was the guitar solos. They are just not as good as they were before, but I believe that they were under time constraints and this had something to do with it. I mean, you can listen to this and see just how hard they worked, irrerespective of the shorter length! This cd from start to finish just never lets up and the songs are memorable. Yes, that is what I said...Memorable!!!!
And one more thing...People dont be afraid to pick this up as you will play it more than once. Remember, to buck the trends is to support change and progression!!




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