Damn those Canadians really know how to continue the raw abiding legacy of experimental Death Metal. Whether it be BLACKGUARD, CRIMSON SHADOWS, CRYPTOPSY, BENEATH THE MASSACRE, or the gods of the void VOI VOD, each contributes their consecutive part. Montreal's DISSENSION are no slouches either. Continuing with the highly acclaimed self-titled (EP) from 2011, and re-working three tracks from that release. Now exactly three years later, they are poised to deliver divine scream songs.

With their crushing debut I hear everything from DISSECTION to CRADLE OF FILTH (Title Track), with plenty of homage to AT THE GATES, DARK TRANQUILLITY ("Brutality"), GRAVEWORM, CHILDREN OF BODOM ("Graceless Death"), KALMAH, not to mention insalubrious doses of CARCASS CANCER, and  DEATH just to make you choke on it, before you swallow, and face regurgitation.

In fact, vocalist Nathan Afilalo Does his best impression of both Jeff Walker and Mikael Stanne on several tracks, including the infectious "Set To Kill" - a  primed choice cut that could have easily been lifted from "Swansong". This album is only going to be available digitally and as a collectable vinyl. This is such a shame, because I can assure you if I had a CD it would be getting as many repetitions as this has played on my IPod. I actually, only stumbled across this band last week, thinking they were Thrash, but boy was I surprised. I have not heard the new WATAIN, and I am still playing new CARCASS, but this gem has been ringing in my ears non-stop.

Since this release represents years of struggle and determined ambition, I will let Nathan himself sum it up for you. "Having been a band for about six years, we have long anticipated the great day where we could let our music take flight upon the winds of the world.  With that in mind, "Of Time And Chronic Disease" is a summation of our music since it contains some of our very earliest songs to some of our latest. The album has to be taken as a whole, as the individual songs all represent a different facet of the whole that is our music. It's like a hydra, the beast can only truly be slain if you remove all of its heads and immerse yourself in the dark pools of its blood."

Damn, that sure sums it up! From the very opening drum blast of "Thralls Of The Crucified" (an awesome song title I might add), and those raspy lyrics, breaking some barriers of brutality with "Legacy", leading into the final throes of "Apotheosis", everything is ripe and ready for your voracious consumption. Get ready to exhume to consume with extravagant guitar passages mirroring the best of the Gothenberg Godz.  Think beyond the obvious, like: MERCILESS, UNANIMATED, EDGE OF SANITY, etc.

Each suggestive and passionate keyboard arrangements recall what DIMMU once was able to accomplish in the '90s. Every pummeling and melodic galloping crunch echoes back to earlier OLD MAN'S CHILD ie. "Pagan Prosperity". All those exceptional memorable melodies that acts like the now defunct GOD DETHRONED once perfected are cleverly and vividly re-imagined. The wild word play and lyrical suggestions themselves also serve to honor what Jeff and Mikael have blissfully and poetically created in the past two decades. I would add homage to EMPEROR's "Anthems" as well, and perhaps some SATYRICON, say "Nemesis Divina" or "ShadowThrone" for good measure.

Once you are bitten by the dissonance of the sound bite, the chronic disease will see that slowly you rot, preparing for the impending pestilence. So ready, go and get set to kill, and slay with delight, with the blackest steel resolve of DISSENSION, who have manifested the graceless dearth of brutality, in favor of more melody and mettle.