Ancient Death Triumph
Slaughterday
•
October 21, 2020
From the deepest pits of hell, no matter of beast or burden may escape the torturous Tartarus, and yet by some virtue of oversight-or intended blight-SLAUGHTERDAY has risen from the depths of oblivious decay to unveil their newest album the aptly titled, "Ancient Death Triumph." The feverous and rending sound the band possesses as an unholy duo is on par with that of full scale bands and, of course, such comparisons and attributes fail at the inclusion of their compositions.
The album opens up with what perhaps can only be described as a vers libre anthem entitled, "Decarnation." The track features harmonized leads over an ascending chord structure with branching melodies and a complete absence of drums, bass, and vocals; despite the utter absence of a band, the introduction manages in captivating and wresting the attention of the listener, its polyphonic progression changing often enough to continue to be interesting. The first full band track on the album commences next with a start, "Ancient Death Triumph," explodes with viscera and aggression-the constantly shifting progressions, rhythms, and timing as a whole is a madmen's lament painted to the tune of festering corpses; the song possesses nearly enough shifts to be considered an opus, though the motif of the vocals most likely prevent such attribution. "Impenitent Agony" is, among other things, an oxymoron such that the title speaks of finding agony in not having shame, the distension of the music mirrors this idea to a certain degree, where the music contains tension built by the constant shift between melody and rhythm the combination of both also creates balance, a perplexing audible stigma. "Malformed Assimilation" is an odd track on the album as despite its like nature to the rest of the tracking the rhythm and groove have an almost Punk vibe to them sounding as if the progression could've been something that never made it on the FEAR's "The Record." "Thumb Hang" closes out the album, only fitting as such an odd collection of music needs an odd song; the song has a staccato accompaniment introduction as one of the guitars plays the main riff. The song changes significantly at about the halfway mark forgoing the powerful and drawn out chords in favor of a bouncing rhythm only to return to the main riff in a start-stop fashion for the solo.
The instrumentation is a solid construction and large sounding in nature, more often than not making you forget that the band is a duo. The guitars are perfectly balanced with one another where each takes priority at distinct sections but never forcefully overlap one another or exist out of sequence; the bass sounds as a constant force, an unrelenting drive that sort of washes over the foundation providing structure for the entirety of the band as well as a torrent of low-end; the drums are balanced with excellent design which manages to accentuate the fills and transitions between each groove while never taking priority over the voice or strings; and last, though not least, the vocals are eerie, cathartic, and powerful being forward enough to steal the listener's attention each and every time.
SLAUGHTERDAY has established themselves as a proactive and professional duo with a penchant towards Death Metal, and "Ancient Death Triumph" epitomizes their resolve and talents; the album is well worth your attention and the band is well worth your time.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Ancient Death Triumph" Track-listing:
1. Decarnation
2. Ancient Death Triumph
3. Expulsed From Decay
4. Impenitent Agony
5. Spawn Of The Incubus
6. Apocalyptic Dreams
7. Malformed Assimilation
8. Discarnate Forces
9. Thumb Hang
Slaughterday Lineup:
Jens Finger - Bass and Guitars
Bernd Reiners - Drums and Vocals
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