Review Summary: ‘The Fathomless Mastery’ is still a furious slab of extreme music and another exceptional weapon in Bloodbaths arsenal.
With a succession of well received releases under their belt, Swedish ‘super group’ Bloodbath returned in 2008 with Opeth front man Mikael Akerfeldt back on board to handle vocal duties, a detail which made ‘The Fathomless Mastery’ a hotly anticipated record in death metal circles. And it is my view that Bloodbath delivered another exemplary performance, again cementing the fact that an extreme metal heart still pumps in these musicians that have progressively moved away from their first love in their foremost outfits.
Opener ‘At The Behest Of Their Death’ erupts into action with a stunning volley of technical riff work before settling into a satisfyingly churning verse that works to highlight the absolutely stellar vocals of Akerfeldt, whose guttural lows retain a convincing malevolence through the album. It may be true to say that the vocals do lack variation, with a these lows pretty much sustained throughout, yet when they are of such a high quality as this, it really does not retract from the record in the slightest, and Akerfeldt remains the highlight performance of the disc.
As previously touched upon, the guitar playing is also extremely accomplished. The lead work traces a fine line between melodic phrasing and shred runs, apparent in both ‘Drink From The Cup Of Heresy’ and ‘Devouring The Feeble‘, which each feature a solo switching between tasteful, fluid lines and technical intensity. There are a glut of excellent riffs also, a lot of which rely on a mid tempo groove rather than constant velocity, such as in the aforementioned ‘At The Behest Of Their Death’, the Morbid Angel-esque stomp of ‘Mock The Cross, or the 0.38 mark of ‘Process Of Disillumination’, which hits with an absolutely monstrous chug. Although this is certainly not to say that the record lacks speed, as tracks like ‘Earthrot’ and Hades Rising’ rattle along with a technical clamour and urgency that utilize a furious pace.
The drumming of Martin Axenrot is without doubt proficient, yet lacks any real character or exertion. He seems content to stick within a comfort zone which means that we are presented with a series of dreary and unexciting efforts that just seem contemptible when accompanying the other praiseworthy aspects of the album. The double bass, the blast beats, the quick fills, are all presented and executed well, yet it is not amiss to expect something more from a drummer as obviously talented as Axenrot.
‘The Fathomless Mastery’ is almost a wholly satisfying death metal release. The songs are memorable and proficient, with a pleasant mixture of Floridian technical bluster and a classic Swedish ambience keeping things attractive without a sense of it being hackneyed. With a better drumming performance, the album could have been Bloodbaths best effort yet, although as it stands ‘The Fathomless Mastery’ is still a furious slab of extreme music and another exceptional weapon in Bloodbaths arsenal.
