• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Deämon's "End of Ages" EP, which I reviewed some 6 years ago was followed by the band's first full length "Synopsis of Sin" in 2003, which I'm afraid got very little press - and I can't say I've seen it for sale anywhere, save for a used CD store earlier this year. "Descend Dethrone" is the latest offering by the Ottawa death metallers, this time under the umbrella of underground label CDN Records.

There have been some lineup changes in the band since 2000, and it does show a little in the music - although it's difficult to say how much of that is simply the songwriting evolving over time. The guitars in "End of Ages" were more thrashy than they are here. What we get here is more along the line of more or less brutal death metal - heavier, "deeper"-sounding, less crunchy. Think of bands such as Immolation, for starters. What hasn't changed much in the past 6 years is the vocal work by Cory Malone - the guy is a top-notch growler and even though I am not particularly a fan of that type of vocals, I can say that the guy does have a talent for getting it right - he doesn't sound like he's puking his breakfast. ;) No surprises here really, it's just some honest, very well executed death metal, nothing more, nothing less. The album is a bit on the short side, but better that than loading the album with fillers. The short length is compensated by the music itself being pretty loaded - yet another case of discovering something new with each and every listen. I love albums like this where you don't get bored after 10 listens.

I don't know if this album will be easier to find this time around, but you can always get it for a good price from the label's distro. "Descend Dethrone" is one of the top DM albums I've heard so far this year - hell, you can probably throw last year in there as well. Definitely recommended for death metal fans.