As the razor sharp guitars begin to saw away and the blast beats commence, the unrelenting pace that drives "Black Valor" shocks the listener with a suddenness akin to being zapped by an infernal laser beam. Being a furious ode to conquest and blood drenched battlefields, it's a solid opener for this latest album from one of the US metal scene's current death metal darlings. Strangely titled Deflorate—the word itself has something to do with the life cycle of uh, flowers—and graced by an awe inspiring cover (yeah, that's Jabba the Hutt's sister frying some dude with a ray gun), this fourth opus from the quintet, now including newbie guitarist Ryan Knight, is akin to a death metal platter of cold cuts with accompanying mustard sauce. The sauce, representative of melody and the finer stuff, keeps things spicy for spice is badly needed to keep the incinerating tunes here from venturing into the realm of plain boring.
With "Black Valor"'s noodly solo and excruciating tempo over and done with, "Necropolis" arrives to keep the album's momentum going. It's closely followed by the mosh-worthy rhythms of the equally abbrasive and inscrutable "A Selection Unnatural" where the alternating screeches n' deep grunts from Trevor Strand barely waver despite his lyrical venom's spitefire fury. Since this is death metal, forget understanding the lyrics as the words here seem to be spinning in a whirlpool of ugly enunciations. Well duh!
Matters take on epic proportions around the album's middle for the loathsome trio "Denounced, Disgraced," "Christ Deformed," and "Death Panorama" that are bound to knock hordes of mallcore kids from their trendworshipping stupor. As a departure from the obvious influences The Black Dahlia Murder emulate, mighty excellent chunks of fancy-schmancy guitar play cream on most of the tracks here and they're a wonder for thyne ears to behold. Try the offerings on Deflorate's latter half, where the gruesome yarn spun by "That Which Erodes The Most Tender" flirts with the awe inspiring and closer "I Will Return" bows out in a flurry of brain melting leads. An ambitious fourth magnum opus that sees the band make giant strides toward immortality, among the many reasons for enjoying Deflorate is to witness Shannon Lucas' obliterating bursts of drum kit pyrotechnics. Even if this reviewer must admit that his percussion work does lack serious "Oomph!" nonetheless, the material at hand is scary, weird, out-of-this-world death metal grandeur.
Track Listing
1. Black Valor
2. Necropolis
3. A Selection Unnatural
4. Denounced, Disgraced
5. Christ Deformed
6. Death Panorama
7. Throne of Lunacy
8. Eyes of Thousands
9. That Which Erodes Most The Most Tender
10. I Will Return
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