Downlord

Random Dictionary Of The Damned

Written by: PP on 26/03/2007 23:04:47

Illdisposed has long held the crown of brutal death metal in Denmark, but the recent trend has shown that there are quite a few credible contestants for the power, the newcomers from Downlord included. Consisting of members from such recognized bands as Bolt Thrower and Benedictum, the five Danish metalheads have the experience, and boy does it show on record. Given that "Random Dictionary Of The Damned" is their very first outing together, the undersigned is considerably impressed by the originality and professionalism that shines through their rather technical take on the genre.

Downlord's sound is well-layered, consisting of a thick wall of rumbling noise resulting from deeply down tuned guitars and the purposefully low budget-style production. The drums are smashed to pieces in rapid-fire manner and thunder across the tight soundscapes, and vocalist Dave Ingram's lung-based growls add to the confined atmosphere where claustrophobic people would perhaps not feel too comfortable in. This is all contrasted by the very Cattle Decapitation-ish lead guitar, which is severly technical and often high-pitch, though the main riff is almost always down-tuned to fit the atmosphere. The solos are all organic in nature, breathing waves of originality and technicality through them, and keep the listener constantly on his toes to what's coming next. Some might say this sounds like cliché death metal, but trust me when I say it's different. If you could imagine the best qualities of the Americanized unmelodic grind-influenced death metal and the brutality of traditional English death metal with a distinctly Danish touch to it, you are very close to Downlord's sound on their debut album. It's easy to distinguish them as a Danish band, but yet one can instantly recognize elements from some of the leaders of the genre, Decapitated and Cattle Decapitation among the first bands one might think of.

But what is perhaps the best quality about "Random Dictionary.." is its extremely tight and well constructed delivery. Listening to its muffled sound literally makes you think they recorded this in a tiny box where there's barely space for all bands members. While Illdisposed can often be considered slightly too spacey in its genre, Downlord's sound could be compared to a muscular man dressed in far-too small clothes currently at a bursting point - and I mean this in a good way. Testosterone-filled aggressive brutality? Bring it.

8

Download: Full Scale Hatred, Groin Of God+++Amen & Out+++
For the fans of: Decapitated, Cattle Decapitation, Illdisposed
Listen: Myspace

Release date 19.02.2007
Open Grave
Provided by Target ApS

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