▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Diseim ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Holy Wrath █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2012 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-03-09 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Abyss Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ The first trait that stood out to me about █ █ Latvians Diseim on their debut Holy Wrath was the █ █ strange approach of the vocalist in the first █ █ track, simply titled "Black". The band lays out █ █ this staunch, muddied death-groove, he barks out a █ █ few normal guttural lines and then it sounds as if █ █ the guy is wrestling with himself or lifting █ █ something so heavily he's about to get a hernia. █ █ The oddity passes and we get a pretty average slew █ █ of low end thrash/grooves and breaks of melodic █ █ death metal, but the conscience still feels soiled █ █ from just that first minute or two of the song. █ █ Sadly, I didn't find too much else on the album █ █ that really stood out to me. A pity, because the █ █ band could really have worked that dense, █ █ sludge-like guitar tone into something really █ █ distinct, morbid, and threatening. █ █ In Diseim's defense, they do come up with some █ █ creepy, atmospheric riffs like the intro to the █ █ titular "Holy Wrath" or the similar "Insanity", █ █ simplistic sequences that are given added berth █ █ due to the massive guitar sound. But once they █ █ pick up to faster grooves or muted death/thrash █ █ note progressions, I felt a lot of familiarity and █ █ nothing quite stood out to the ear. Most of the █ █ vocals are decent rasps or gutturals, but nothing █ █ you've not heard a lot before, and while I like █ █ the natural feel to the drumming and the fact that █ █ the Latvians do not conform to any one niche █ █ particularly, they never seem to manifest this █ █ into a strength as far as the writing. Sure, the █ █ tunes hang out around the 3-4 minute mark and █ █ never overstay their welcome, and they've got some █ █ admitted ability at pacing out the more doom █ █ inflected pieces like "Agony" or "Witch", but in █ █ general I found a dearth of quality hooks that █ █ could glue my ears. █ █ For a broad comparison, I'd equate the band's █ █ sound to US acts Autopsy and Cianide, who both had █ █ (and still have) a penchant for an open, churning █ █ guitar tone. Throw in perhaps a bit of Slayer's █ █ late 80s moodiness and the groovier, rock █ █ influenced Entombed (Inferno, Uprising) and you're █ █ within driving distance of what Holy Wrath offers. █ █ There's something sincere, grimy and down to earth █ █ about the music that I find it difficult to really █ █ dislike, and though they're juggling 3-4 styles █ █ here that are more often performed as separate █ █ entities, they manage to fuse them into something █ █ agreeable. In the end, I just never felt all that █ █ fulfilled by this particular crop of tunes, but █ █ the roots are strong: if they keep planting in █ █ this soil they're bound to yield a grisly, █ █ effective harvest down the line. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Black 3:22 ░ ░ 2. Holy Wrath 5:08 ░ ░ 3. Pyromania 2:09 ░ ░ 4. Sinner 4:56 ░ ░ 5. Insanity 4:19 ░ ░ 6. Son of the Winter 3:58 ░ ░ 7. Witch 3:52 ░ ░ 8. Agony 4:03 ░ ░ 31:47 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░