Sixteen-year-old kids have a variety of ways to amuse themselves while appearing savagely angry. Most turn to underhanded crime to vent their feelings; vandalism, shoplifting, and the usual underage debauchery are the expected outlets. Every so often, a small minority of those youths channels their emotions into something creative, possibly even useful. Visual art is a common passage, as is physical athletics. But damn I say to you, those are not worthwhile things! In these modern times, music has been on the rise and more youthful prodigies are taking up their axes of all genres. And in the case of four aspiring Polish musicians, that outlet was none other than the most gratifying of all – pure extreme death metal.
That’s right; Decapitated began as a group of metal prodigies in the late 90’s in Poland with one thought on their mind: death metal. At a mere sixteen years of age, Decapitated wrote and effortlessly played some of the finest death metal of the time.
Winds of Creation, their debut, has been renowned as their most impressive and worthwhile to date. It certainly features vast arrays of remarkable musicianship and brutal metal with riffs that implant themselves in the minds of all who dare subject their frailty to such an onslaught.
The album packs all of the needed ingredients to deliver the forceful heavy metal attack required for a memorable death metal album. Firstly, the production is not quite crystal clear. While this may turn some off, the slight muddiness causes all instruments to mold into a single wall of noise, which emanates like a wrecking ball. The drums are given plenty of volume in the background, complete with a terse resonance that tears through any manmade speakers. Sauron’s voice is savagely monstrous and presents similar to a beast’s defense against outside invaders. He comes on hard and fast without holding back.
Of course, the album’s main highlight is the riff action. Oh, the riffs. [I[Winds of Creation[/i] comes packed full of the most brilliant and brutal riffs of the era. From the dark harmonizing of
Nine Steps to the balls to the wall insanity of the title track, this album keeps listeners on their toes. One can never predict when the next break will be, leading into yet another section of entrancing metal. Groove riffs such as those in
Blessed provide mellow transitions between bouts of instrumental psychosis with plenty of resourceful metal crafting to make the entire album flow as a single entity. Certainly
The Eye of Horus and
The First Damned are intriguing outsized tracks jammed full of enough lunacy to prevent any monotony from setting in during any of the tracks’ eight minutes. The shorter excursions, namely
Way to Salvation and
Mandatory Suicide, are brief bouts of bloodshed to get you salivating for the next sadistic absolute venture. Thoughtful guitar solos add to the atmosphere of human demolition with intense shredding supplemented in the form of
Nine Steps and
Mandatory Suicide, which add the perfect magnitude of technicality to the assortment of abrasive riffs.
If you feel you’re well prepared, then behold a full 60 minutes of solid Polish death metal. From riffs to vocals to solos,
Winds of Creation is a fantastic display of how excellence knows no age.
Recommended listening:
- Winds of Creation
- The First Damned
- Nine Steps
- Mandatory Suicide
Pros include:
- Strong production with brutal instrumental work
- Memorable songwriting
- Great blend of fast/moderate paces and solos
Cons include:
- Riffs and songs occasionally droning
