Cursed Seeds
Horror God
•
September 25, 2019
Coming Sep. 27, 2019, "Cursed Seeds" is the third full-length by Russian Experimental Death Metal band HORROR GOD. It is an intense experience that fuses Avant-Garde and Progressive elements into their Death Metal core. Being seven tracks and 36 minutes long it highlights a sense of urgency to its brutality.
The album gets going with its title track, an assault of dissonant distortion, manic drumming and dense riffing, with deep growls moving beneath its angular patterns. "Cursed Seeds" lives up to its name with a sinister undertone constant through its five minutes. It sets the mood of the record and throws the listener right into the action.
"Age of Madness" follows, with some intricate drum work from Lev Kurgansky. The hi-hat sets and carries the feel of the track. Kurgansky also gets creative with the cymbal work, adding texture here and there. There is some almost catchy riffing throughout the song and a couple of groovy bass runs. A great solo is the finishing touch.
"They Were Behind the Barbed Wire" starts in a denser and wearier way, with a slower and somber rhythm. It picks up the pace a little, but it is mostly noisy and rhythmic. The tom work provides a tribal vibe to some sections. Riffing gets more discernible almost four minutes in. Guest guitarist Kevin Hufnagel shows his skills with a powerful, melodic yet technical solo.
A more Prog-inspired approach appears on "We Build These Walls Ourselves" with its shifting time signatures and heavy syncopation. It carries an epic feel, being the longest track on the album, a little over six minutes. Most of the track is comprised of extended, rambling instrumental work that changes and moves constantly, ebbing and flowing with tension and release.
"Sunset" begins quite melodic and straightforward, featuring some of the most memorable riffing in the album. Do not be fooled by it, though, because it still follows the Avant-Garde nature of the songwriting. Horror God shows some teeth and grit in here, biting their way through some really nasty, heavy guitar work. Meanwhile, "Face of War" takes a more traditional path, with some great, driving basslines by Sergey Borisov.
"Throne" is a short yet ever-changing song. In spite of being just a little over three minutes it takes the listener on a journey of its own with the several ideas the band throws in it, never feeling overcrowded, or worse, non-cohesive.
"Cursed Seeds" is a solid, intricate album filled with creative songwriting and proficient musicianship. Production suits the music well, contributing to the overwhelming atmosphere of chaos, doom and despair. It does get a bit similar, especially if you are not playing close attention to what is going on, and the lack of distinctive hooks (even for an Avant-Garde-influenced band) might make it hard for some to fully enjoy.
Horror God deliver a brutal record with "Cursed Seeds" and it deserves more than a couple of spins if you truly are into dissonant and complex, Experimental Death.
7 / 10
Good
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Cursed Seeds" Track-listing:
1. Cursed Seeds
2. Age of Madness
3. They Were behind the Barbed Wire
4. We Build These Walls Ourselves
5. Sunset
6. Face of War
7. Throne
Horror God Lineup:
Sergey "Bor" Borisov - Guitars & Bass
Pavel "Arte" Smirnov - Guitars
Max "Shaman" Stepanov - Vocals
Lev Kurgansky - Drums
Kevin Hufnagel - Guest guitar solo on "They Were behind the Barbed Wire"
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