CESSATION OF LIFE had sent out their advance single, Necropolis, for review prior to the release of this full-length CD. Hailing from Camarillo, CA, USA this quartet seems to work hard on its aim: technical but in-your-face Speed/Thrash/Death Metal all the way.
CESSATION OF LIFE has been around for quite a long time. Formed in 1995 by Ron Ostlund, they've already released a little bit less than ten CDs on their own (demos, EPs, 'full' CDs) and - funny thing is - seem undisturbed on their will, even without a contract; their official site is well-designed and fully-packed with info, they've appeared in various compilation CDs, they tend to perform live whenever occurring and - in general - they have the symptoms of a genuine Metal band loving playing Metal music.
CESSATION OF LIFE is a hostile band; uncompromising Metal in a (non-Black) extreme way, full of 'rich' songparts and with adequate (the least) instrumentation. Chris Violence's vocals are not growls, but he definitely is rotten and spiteful. He spits words and seems ready for a fight at any cost. His throat is kinda peculiar, an amalgam of Tom Araya and John Tardy and (weird!) John Bush. Without his voice I do not think the vibe would be the same.
As for the 'instruments' part, all four players are skilled. They do seem to have a good chemistry, not only in fast parts (semi-blastbeats may occur, too) but also in mid-pace or groovy themes. The guitar performance is an obvious result of hard work, figuring out some conscious pursuit, while the rhythm section is bonded as hell; both Harrison and Ostlund perform in variety and restless dynamism. A brief relevance of CESSATION OF LIFE's music would be enough of SLAYER, some of OBITUARY, a lurking portion of 'sophisticated' METALLICA and tons of anti-mainstream American Metal the late 80s/early 90s way.
CESSATION OF LIFE and Path Of Totality bring a personal aura of (100%, anyway) Metal breeze. They're not (just) vagabonds, they're extreme in their way but their minds seem too peculiar in songwriting. Or is it just that they are 'underground'? And they do want so, as far as I'm concerned. Really have to try this CD if you're into DIY attitude. Cannot rate it, it's pure.