DECAPITATED CHRIST is a Spanish Death Metal band formed in 2005, arising out of a direct insurrection against the increasingly commercialized path taken by Metal. April 11^th will see the release of their fourth full-length album, a heavy and retro piece of work entitled "Arcane Impurity Ceremonies".

So often when band "tries to adopt a more old school approach" in reality, their sound is just sloppy and raw. But DECAPITATED CHRIST prove to be the exception here: they do well in capturing the essence of Old School Death Metal, but manage to do so in way that brings the technicality of their music to shine without being overly complex. Perhaps my only critique in terms or recording quality is that the drums and vocals often slightly overpower the guitars. But then again, this is not necessarily a bad thing as the pronounced drumming gives the album a somewhat more frenzied quality, although this is taken down a notch in tracks such as "Ancestral Rites Evoking Primigenium Horrors".

With sacrilegious lyrics, brutal guitar riffs, solid guttural growls, and breakneck drumming, this album contains everything that is necessary for a good Death Metal album, and I can very well imagine that tracks like "Human-Eating Herd of the Damned" must be amazing songs to witness live. Another notable track is "When War Brings Glory (Cenotaph 666)" which proves that the band have indeed mastered their goal of paying tribute to the great forerunners of the genre, such as BOLT THROWER, and KREATOR. Perhaps my favourite track on the album is "Those Who Walk Slowly"; not only is this song an epitome of what good old Death Metal should be, but the instrumentation really does well in bringing to life the lyrical theme of the song.

Overall, although this album is perhaps nothing overly-innovative, it is still a very decent release. If you like your Death Metal straight and simple with no pretences, then DECAPITATED CHRIST is definitely worth checking out.