• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

As good as many bands playing "modern" Death Metal may sound, there's something about the old school style (late 80s/early 90s) that makes me prefer it over the other variants. I don't know whether it's the music that is usually much closer to thrash, the absence of typewriter-like drumming, or the (usually) slower pace. Norway's Obliteration formed in 2001, but they might just as well have formed 20 years ago. This full-length debut is practically a tribute to early DM bands, steering clear of just about every modern element. "Perpetual Decay" is a mix of slow, rather doomy music, more -and mostly- mid-paced DM, and a few ventures into much speedier experiments, albeit nowhere near as fast as what we've been hearing, and grown accustomed to, for the past few years by the aforementioned "modern" style. Here we have time to digest every moment, appreciate the razor-sharp thrash-meets-death riffage, invigorating solos, and a decent dose of heaviness (although I'd say they're are kind of in the middle of the heaviness scale, overall.) Even the vocals come in varieties, from a rather deep, but not overdone guttural style, all the way to the more raspy style used in Death/Thrash and Black/Thrash.

By now you know that Obliteration aren't innovators, but this is the kind of album that doesn't make -or let- you think of such mundane things (OK, I can think of a few perpetual whiners, but they can write their own reviews. :)) A very enjoyable piece of old school Death Metal, period.