Italy's Graveworm now have six albums under their belt with the release of Collateral Defect. Not missing a beat after the rampaging (N) utopia, which came out in 2005, the band have once again put together a blistering collection of progressive black metal, gothic rock, thrash, and death metal here on Collateral Defect. Featuring lethal growls, symphonic keyboards, and plenty of heavy riffs, this is an extreme metal ride that you'll want to take over and over again.
The lead vocals of Stefan Fiori will appeal to any black metal fan, as his shrill and evil shrieks cut through the musical mix like a knife, but he can also churn out a good lower register death metal/gothic growl as well. Check him out as he flips back and forth on the cover of Bonnie Tyler's "I Need a Hero" (yes, an odd cover tune for an extreme metal band but it works), and the brutal "Out of Clouds", which is almost like Emperor meets Obituary with its black and death metal elements. The keyboard work of Sabine Mair adds a nice ethereal touch to the otherwise pounding fury of "Bloodwork", while intense drum blasts and punishing guitar riffs propel the deliciously goulish "Touch of Hate", a song that also features a guest vocal from Kataklysm's Maurizio Iacono. He's not the only guest here, as The Sorrow's Matze lends his metalcore shouts and clean vocals to the excellent "Fragile Sound", a wild meeting of black metal and metalcore.
The only real drawback here is that most of the songs are pretty short, but what the album is not short on is intensity. If you like your black metal with a lot of variety, give Collateral Defect a try, and hear all the extreme sounds these Italians are conjuring up.
Track Listing
1. Reflections (2:27)
2. Bloodwork (3:29)
3. Touch Of Hate (3:08)
4. Suicide Code (3:51)
5. The Day I Die (5:11)
6. Fragile Side (4:20)
7. I Need A Hero (Bonnie Tyler Cover) (4:33)
8. Out Of Clouds (3:53)
9. Scars Of Sorrow (3:54)
10. Memories (6:15)
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