█▓ G R A V E W ISH █▓▌░█▓ ◘▀▓▌▓ █░█▓█▓█░ █▓█▓▌░▀▓ ▐▓█▓▌▓█▓ ▌▓█░▄▓█▓▐▓▌░▌░█▓ █░▌░█▓▄▓█░▄░ █░█▓█▓_█▓█▓▌░█▓█▓ ▌░▌░▀▓█▓▀░▐░ █░▐▓█▓▀░ ▌░█▓█▓▀░▐░ ▀▓▀░▀░▀▓ █░▄▓ ▀░█▓▄▓█░█▓█░█░ █▓█▓█░█░▀░ █▓ █▓█▓▌░█▓█▓ █▓▐▓ ▐▓▌░█▓▌▓█▓▌░▄▓▀░ ▀▓▄▓▌░█▓█▓█░▀▓█▓ █▓█░█▓▌▓█░ ▌░█▓█▓█░█▓▀▓█▓ █░█▓█▓▀░▄░█░ █░ ▌░█░█▓█▓ ▀░ █▓▐░▀░▄░█▓█░▐▓ ▄▓█▓▐▓▄▓ ▀░▄▓▀░█▓▌░█░█▓▀▓ █▒█░ ▀▓ █░█░█▓▐░█▓ ▐▓ █▓█▓█░▬▄▓ ▐▓█▓█▓█▓█▓▄▓ ▀▓█▓█▓█▓█░█▓▄▓ █░ █▓█▓█░█▒▄░█░ ▄▓ █▓ █▓▐▓█░ ▌▓▄▓█░ ▀▓ █░ ▄▓ ▀▒▀░█▓▌▓ █▓ ▄▓█▓▄░█▓ ▐▓ █▓ █▓█▓▀▓▄▓ █▓ ▐▓ █▓▄▓▀░█░▄░ █░ ▄▓ ▀▓█▓█▓▄░ █▓ ▀░▌▓█▓ █▓ █░█▓█░ ▀░ █▓ █░ █░█▓ █▓ █░▄▓ █▓ █▓█▓█▓ ▀▓▐▓▀░▀░ █▓█░ ▐▓█▓█░█▓ ▐▓ ▀▓█░█▓ ▄▓ █░█░ █░▌░█░ █░█░▄▓ █▓▐▓▄░___█▓█░▐▓ ▀░█▓█░_█▓▄▓ ▌░▌▓█▓▄▓ █▓ █░█░▌▓█░▌│ █░▌░▌▓ ▐▓ █░█░█▓█▓▄▓█▓█▓ ▀░ ▀▓ ▄▓▌▓█░█░ █░ ▄▓ ▌▓▀▓▀░ █▓█▓▀▓ █░ █▓█░█░ ▐▓ █░█▓█░ ▀▓ █░█░█▓█░▌░▄░_ ▐▓ █▓ ▄▓█▓█░█▓▌░▄▓▀░ ▄▓ ▀░ ▄▓ ▐▓█░█░▀▓ █▓ ▐▓ █▓ ▄▓▀░ ▀░▀░▐▓▌▓▄▓ ▀▓ ▄▓ █▓▐▓▄░█▓▌░ ▀▓ ▐▓ ▌░▄▓█▓█▓▀▓ ▐▓ ▐▓ ▌▓▐▓█░█░█░▌▓ ▄▓ ▀▓▄░ ▌░▌░▌░█░█░▀▓ ▄▓ ▀▓ ▐▓▌░█▓ ▀▓ ▄▓ █▓ ▀▓ ▄▓█░▌▓ ▄▓ █▓ ▀▓ ▀░█░ █▓ ▀▓ ▌░▐░ ▀▓ █▓ █▓▐░▌▓ ▌░█▓ ▄▓█▓█▓▀▓▄▓█▓ █░▌▓█▓ ▄▓ ▄▓ ▄▓▄▓▀▓ █▓▀▓ █▓ ▄▓ █▓▀▓ ▀▓█▓ █▓ █▓ █▓ █▓ █░ ▄░ ▄░ █▓ ▀▓ ▀▓ ▄▓ █▓ ▀▓ ▄▓ ▀▓ ▐▓ ▄▓ ▀▓▄░ ▀▓ ▀▓ ▀▓ █░ █▓ █▓ ▌░ █▓ █░ Artist...: Blackthorn Album....: The Rotten Ways of Human Misery ▌░ Year.....: 2016 █▓ Rel.Date: 2025-07-14 █▓ Genre....: Death Metal ▌░ Label....: Discos y Cintas Denver Source...: CD Type.....: Reissue ▌░ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ▌░ █░▄░ █▓ ▄▓█▓ █▓ ▄▓▀░ █░ █░ ▐▓▄░ ▀░ █░█░ ▌░ ▀▓▄░ ▌▓█░ ▀░ █▓▀░ ▐▓▄░ █░ ▐▓▀░▄░ ▀░ █░ █░▄░ ▀░ ▀░ █▓▀░█▓ █░ █▓ █░▄▓█░ ▀░▌▓ ▀▓█▓ █░▐▓ ▬ ▀▓ ▄▓▀▓█░▄░ █░█░ █░█░█▓█▓▌░ █▓▐░ ▐▒▄░▐▓ ▀░▀░▀▓▀░ ▐░▌░ █░ ▐▓▐░▌░▄▓ █▓ ▐░▐░▄░ ▌▓▌▓▌▓▐▓ ▐▓█▓ █▓▄▓▐▓ █░▄░█░ ▄░▌░← ▌░ ▀░ ▀░ ▐▓ ▌▒ ▄░ ▐▓▐░ ▀▓ ▬▀▓ ▌░ ▌░ ▄░ ▐░ ▐▓ ▐▓█░ ▀░ ▐▓▌░▌░ ▐▓█▓ ▐▓ █░ ▐▓▌░ █▓▌░ ▄▓ █▓█░ █░ ▌░█░█░▀▓▌░ ▌░█░ ▄░ █▓█▓█▓▌░▄▓▄░█▓ ▌▓█▓ ▌░ ▀▓█▓▌▓█▓▄░ █▓█▓ ▄░▀░▄▓▀░▀▒█░ ▄▓█░▬▀░█▓█░▬█▓▄▓▀░ █▓▀▓▀░▀░▌░█░▄░▄▓▐▓▄▓ ▄▓█▓█▓█▓▄░█▓▀░▐▓ █▓ █░▄▓ ▄▓ ▄░ █▓ █░█▓█░▀▓█▓ █▓▀░▀░ █▓█▓ █▓▄▓▌░▌▓▀▓ █▓▐░ █░█▓▄▓▄▓█▓ █▓█▓ ▀▓▄▓▄░▄░█░ █░ █░ ▄▓ 1. Throes of Death 4:45 2. Gangrene 4:48 3. Embryonic Mutilation 5:02 4. Criminal Ecstasy 6:30 5. Human Abattoir 4:39 6. Harrowing Beheading 3:57 7. Slow Extinction of Life 4:09 8. Traumatic Survival 4:52 9. Buried Alive Underground Agony 4:08 42:50 Mexican Death Metal originally released on Avanzada Metlica in 1993. Review -------- There is a certain charm to a band that plays the long game and refines their craft to the point of full maturity, despite the fact that it may come at the price of missing the train of commercial viability. This was the pitfall that snared many old school death metal bands in the early 90s, particularly those outside of the early spheres of influence; namely Florida, New York, Sweden, and to an extent, Germany. There were naturally some early entries of note in Brazil that were somewhat more closely tied to the mid-80s thrash metal scene, but by and large, Latin America found itself a few years behind the curve in spite of some truly pivotal early entries out of the likes of Sarcofago and Sepultura. It is into this peculiar context that Mexico's Blackthorn, often dismissed as a de facto Death tribute band by those who've discovered them in the years since their 1994 dissolution, finds itself. To be fair, given that this band was in existence since 1989 and the majority of the material that made it onto their sole 1992 LP and heavily Florida scene-influenced The Rotten Ways Of Human Misery had been written and demoed by 1990, an argument could be made that they were less blatant of a late entry tag-along act as might have been assumed at the time. At first glance, this album functions as an almost perfect amalgam of every consequential album to come out of the early Florida days. It possesses the heavily thrash-oriented and break-neck pacing of Death's first two albums, while also exhibiting the more jarring Slayer-like lead guitar approach of the Hoffman brothers, the chunky and almost doom-leaning heaviness of Obituary's Slowly We Rot and Entombed's Severed Survival, and even occasional allusions to the creepy atmosphere of the early Morbid Angel offerings. Nevertheless, the bulk of the riffing work and the throaty, Chuck Schuldiner-like snarl of vocalist Paul Mallory (R.I.P.) tilts this album heavily towards Leprosy, albeit a far heavier and percussive production quality that puts the qualitative dimensions of this album a bit closer to Human. In essence, this is an album that was clearly composed with an ear to the stylistic era that spanned 1987 through 1990, but was translated into something a bit more geared towards the time that it was ultimately released. This is most apparent in the tactical employment of keyboards for added atmospheric nuance, which bears a fair resemblance to how they were employed during Death's middle era, and to an extent among other early 90s entries such as Darkthrone's disowned death metal debut Soulside Journey, though obviously falling way short of the quirky, almost prog character of Nocturnus. The common objection thrown this album's way that it suffers heavily in the originality department has some weight, though it is often blown out of proportion and doesn't do full justice to the competency and enjoyment factor that permeates things from beginning to end. It presents one of the musical "road not taken" scenarios where one could almost picture Death putting this album out had they taken a slower evolutionary path following Leprosy, but it doesn't become nearly as derivative as some 2010s revivalist acts such as Gruesome or Skeletal Remains do in full copying the same formula. Particularly when noting more overtly multifaceted and extended compositions such as the riff happy thrasher "Embryonic Mutilation" and the slow-chugging build to a frenzied epic monstrosity "Criminal Ecstasy", what is presented here is a band that is not afraid to play with existing formulas a bit and spice things up, particularly in the strategic use of keyboards in the latter case and some deeper, more Chris Barnes inspired barks courtesy of fellow Mexican scene adherent Acrostic vocalist Xavier Herrera. Even when dealing with more standard death thrashing fair such as "Gangrene", "Harrowing Beheading" and "Traumatic Survival", there are occasional moments of Cannibal Corpse-like blasting, and an overall more early 90s Bay Area influence on the riffing that's a bit atypical compared to early Florida offerings. Hindsight can often be employed to marginalize or even pigeonhole an obscure offering as a generic throwaway, but there is something special about this forgotten slab of old school death metal that shouldn't be missed by anyone who longs for the days when Slayer and Possessed had a more pronounced impact on the style and the thrash riffing style that originally inspired it was expanded upon rather than outright jettisoned. Similarly, anyone who had a particularly fancy for the somewhat more experimental flavor that started to creep in just after the dawn of the 1990s will find a number of more nuanced offerings such as "Slow Extinction Of Life" and "Buried Alive (Underground Agony)" highly intriguing, though still very much in line with this band's more traditional sound. It speaks to a band that was loaded with potential at the time that Dark Angel shredder Eric Meyer saw fit to lend both his guitar and production expertise to this album, and it is among one of the more unfortunate facts of death metal's 30 years plus history that they didn't manage to weather the 90s and offer up any successors to this highly impressive debut. This isn't a band that was seeking to reinvent the wheel, nor did they really have to, and despite its now dated sound it still stacks up quite well against the sizable and still growing crowd of revival acts that have rounded out the scene of late. ▀░ █░ █░▄░█░ ▀░ ▀░ ▀░ ▀░ ▐▓ ▄▓ ▐▓█▓ ▀▓▐▓ ▌▓█▓▐▓▀░ ▄▓ ▐▓ █▓▄░ ▄░▐▓ ▄░ ▐▓▐▓ █▓█░█░ █▓█▓█▓█▓█▓ █▓█▓▐▓▐▓▌▓ █▓▄░ ▄▓█▓▄▓█▓ ▄▓▐▓▌░ █▓█▓█▓ █░▄░█▓█░█░█░█░ █▓ █▓ █▓ █▓█▓ █░ █░█▓ █▓█▓ █▓ ▄▓█▓ █▓ █▓ █▓