Artist: Stoned God
Album: Corporeal
Genre: Death Metal
Country: Germany
Release Date: 6th of Februrary, 2020
Self-Released
This and exactly THIS is what I imagine if someone mentions “groovy” refering to anything that’s Extreme Metal. But first things first: Patrick Verhoeven, a huge supporter of the scene and also writer at Arrow Lords of Metal recommended this record to me and I cannot thank him enough.So, if you read this, thank you!
The first impression and a really important one is the artwork. This artwork really is an eyecatcher and absolutely appealing to the eye. Nothing too heavy or extreme, just a beautiful piece of art with light colours. That was enough to make me want to listen to it, but as soon as I heard the intro of the first song I knew I would like it. Didn’t know how much, but my seal of approval was granted. The chorusses that are an integral part of the record are well executed, sometimes a bit lengthy but I’m sure that it’s intended. They add that epic feel to the entire thing, whithout sacrificing heaviness. The vocals in general are done well, the singer has a deep, heavy voice and it fits to the clean highs that are the exact opposite. The highs remind me a little bit of Travis Ryan’s “cleans” from the last two Cattle Decapitation records that actually aren’t clean at all. The changes between the vocal styles are smooth and well placed.
The songs are all supported and complimented by light symphonic/orchestral elements, not overdone though, it’s definitely not a typical Symphonic Death Metal record. As mentioned above, the groove… the groove is what stands out the most. The songwriting is really smart and fully packed with catchy moments instead of only going for speed, the extreme and technicality. You can hear that the guys wanted more warmth in their sound, still dense but not overproduced. Well done guys, you have succeeded. Overall, I would recommend this to all Progressive Death Metal fans, especially if you like Gojira, the last Rivers of Nihil record, recent Fit for an Autopsy material, Black Crown Initiate or even Strapping Young Lad.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
8 / 10
Favorite Tracks:
“The Creator”
“Artificial Sun”
As usual, we added the favorite track(s) to our Transcended Review Playlist 2020.
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