To have a very good album is not only a matter of talent. The production must be done by someone who really knows what to do in a studio, because to build a good sound quality is as important and vital as to have good songs. There are endless examples of many terrible albums with excellent sound qualities ("Never Say Die" from BLACK SABBATH is a fine example), and the opposite (it's hard to imagine "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" with other sound quality that isn't the one that is presented on it), but the sound production IS an important part of an album. And that's why FILTHEATER fails on their first album, "Blight of Sempiternal Putrefaction".

It's a Death Metal band with an old school outfit, reminding me of a lot those names from the 90's from Europe (even being a North American quartet from). The lack of a good producer is shown when the songs play: a lot of clichés flows from this album, hiding their musical personality. Translating: it's like many other bands from the same genre, that ones that stay in the middle of the flood of countless other names. The sound production is not as bad as it could seem, because the sound quality tries to balance the band natural aggressiveness and weight with a good level of clarity. But the instrumental tunes are terrible and not balanced as they must (the drums' tunes are terrible). The knowledge of a better sound technician on studio is clear.

The songs scream for a producer as well, to someone who could lapidate them in a better shape. For now, "Malevolent Transcendence", "Faceless Caverns", "Monologues of Reverance", "Swallowed at Dust" (the snare drums' tunes disturb the patience of anyone who try to listen to this song), and "Amorphous Bulging Appendages" have good ideas, but the musical clichés and the need to sound like anyone else suffocates what they could be. They need to find a better producer to put their songs into a better shape (forget that nasty lie that "we must sound like we want", because no one believes on it anymore), and try again.