At Rats Devour Lions

Prezir

From their Facebook: "Formed in 2016, PREZIR is a Serbian word that means contempt. We are thusly […]
By Gareth Beams
September 10, 2018
Prezir - At Rats Devour Lions album cover

From their Facebook: "Formed in 2016, PREZIR is a Serbian word that means contempt. We are thusly named because the goal of this band, and the music that we write is to create acrimonious heavy metal in the vein of our influences, with a mutual disgust for the safety of modern metal. The nature of ideological dogmas and herd like adherence to the fables of superstitious charlatans is anathema to the pursuit of intellect and reason. Bad ideas are best fought with good ideas and truths. Derision of the false is essential to the preservation of philosophy. PREZIR are influenced by early EMPEROR, early ENSLAVED, MORBID ANGEL, DECIDE, DAWN and DESTRÖYER 666."

The album titled song "As Rats Devour Lions" is the opener. It has a thunderous start; MORBID ANGEL influences easy to perceive here. The dark vocals set the tone up very well alongside the crisp Guitar melodies here. The tempo is very high and runs beautifully through the song. The vocals hold up well throughout, they are short, not outbursts but not going on for too long. The Guitars show off towards the end and show off their skills more. The heaviness mixed with the beauty of the melody really allows the song to progress and grow on you.

The brutally heavy hitting melody and vocals continue into "Ideologue Alchemy" beautifully. The tempo of the Guitar gets immensely technical, to almost Technical Death Metal stage, it works faultlessly. The vocals go deeper, becoming more outbursts, but it works well with the song itself, so it all remains positive. The guitarists throw in a DISSECTION style mini solo to attract us towards their sound. The song flies through on top gear, it ends without slowing down. Making you wish it was heading towards the 6-minute mark instead Rory and Tyler on guitars create sounds that bends brilliant at the start of "Dar al-Har". The speed is showing no sign of descending at all. There is a Thrash feel to the song here once more, but keeping the tones of Death Metal firmly in control. Tempo in the album hasn't slowed down since it kicked off, this song is showing no signs of breaking that mold. There are a few Death growls, but remain short to add depth into the song without it changing direction

"Serpents in the House of Ra" continues with the thrash-frantic style from the off, not trying anything different once more. The mix of Deathgrowls and technical Death Metal pours into your ears once more in the song. By this point we've accepted that all the songs sound similar, and have no chance in really trying anything new. This is nothing against each song individually, more against the album.

7 / 10

Good

Songwriting

7

Musicianship

7

Memorability

7

Production

7
"At Rats Devour Lions" Track-listing:

1. As Rats Devour Lions
2. Ideologue Alchemy
3. Janičari
4. Dar al-Harb
5. Serpents in the House of Ra
6. Hamatsa Death Ritual
7. Plagiarized Infamy
8. Oedipus Context

Prezir Lineup:

Rory Heikkila - Guitar
Brian Serzynski - Drums
Luka Đorđević - Vocals
Jerry Hauppa - Bass
Tyler Okrzesik - Guitar

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