Review Summary: brOOtal?
As a disclaimer, the album highlighted contains instances of drum programming.
Please note, the following review will not promise that the band in question is going to, “tear you a new arsehole”. As I’m not entirely sure that they will, and/or that you would even like a new arsehole, happen chance you’re happy enough with the one you have? I will not proclaim this band the most broootal since Braindrill nor recommend them to lovers of the Knot (sic), I promise most faithfully not to type that they, *** the world….other than right there of course…..
Ygoth Sothoth is a 5 piece death metal band from Meddellin in Columbia. This is their first album and from the opening seconds of track one they leave you in no doubt as to the genre of music you are listening to. Rolling drums lend a foreboding feel to the intro and the now standard 70’s horror movie excerpt plays over the top, Yogth Sothoth, Yogth Sothoth an ethereal voice proclaims,
The opening track, prayer of doom, begins at a suitably doom like pace before developing into a driving death metal tour-de-force. This continues from track to track, the pace now seldom letting up. For the most part the drums are real and add gravitas to the sound but there are sections that smack of programming that, although a little annoying,, don‘t actually detract from the music. The vocal is solid, guttural in sound it almost feels like you’ve intruded on some ancient, probably evil, (Boy Scout convention being very unlikely), ritual. Somebody could very well be about to be sacrificed in the name of…umm..metal?
The guitars are fast and furious, the wall of sound riffs roll over your senses creating a total sound experience that envelopes your senses , dirty fuzzed up guitar drives the pace relentlessly onward slowing at points only to power home a dizzying riff that’ll make your head feel like implosion is imminent . This is death metal of the old school, classic Swedish death metal at that but with the odd nod to the Floridian sound. These guys can groove as well as they pummel.
All in this is a very solid effort, if you enjoyed Dismembered’s S/T earlier this year then the likelihood is you’ll like this. Production aside there’s little to quibble about and while I suppose there’s nothing earth shatteringly fresh about their sound, they do what they do very well indeed.