Dismember
Where Ironcrosses Grow


3.5
great

Review

by Insurrection USER (114 Reviews)
January 13th, 2013 | 26 replies


Release Date: 2004 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Another solid release by Dismember

When it comes to the 90’s Swedish death metal scene, not many bands even held a candle to Dismember in their prime. 1991’s Like an Everflowing Stream was essentially a death metal classic, filled to the brim with some of the most brutal and melodic riffs the genre has to offer combined with diverse songwriting helping each individual track stand alone from the rest. Unfortunately, since then Dismember have been pretty hit or miss. While they never released an outright bad album, nothing they did after Like an Everflowing Stream really compared, mainly because they set the bar so high not even they could top it. Their fifth album Hate Campaign was their most stale release yet, with almost every song sounding like a rehashed version of something they’ve already done. Their seventh album The God That Never Was was somewhat of a return to form for the band, but the album bridging the two, 2004’s Where Ironcrosses Grow, usually gets passed off as Hate Campaign pt. 2, or another ‘miss’ on Dismember’s part. In reality, Where Ironcrosses Grow showed the band slowly but surely getting back on track with an incredibly solid release.

On a song-by-song level, the tracklist follows a relatively straightforward pattern, going from dissonant (Where Ironcrosses Grow) to melodic (Forged with Hate) back to dissonant (Me-God) to melodic again (Tragedy of the Faithful), etc. It becomes a bit too predictable a few tracks in, but the alternating of styles does manage to keep the album fresh during a full listen. It’s hard to call any song on Where Ironcrosses Grow ‘melodic,’ though, seeing as how the touches of melody are usually used for chorus hooks as opposed to being the main focus of any given song (like the ever-so-fruity ‘Patrol 17’ off Hate Campaign). Of course, the straight up death metal aspects are as solid as ever. Two-and-a-half minute opener ‘Where Ironcrosses Grow’ is as fast as it is abrasive. ‘Forged with Hate’s opening gun shot sample is very much representative of the relentless riffs found throughout. Closer ‘As I Pull the Trigger,’ my personal favorite, contains the ferocity of the other tracks while also having a wonderful use of the harmonic minor scale in its infectious chorus. Dismember’s signature Iron Maiden-esque riffs aren’t nearly as prominent as they were on previous efforts, which is good since they were getting a bit tiresome ever since Massive Killing Capacity, but when they do appear (second half of ‘Tragedy of the Faithful’) they’re very tastefully done.

The production, while not as perfect as it was on Like an Ever Flowing Stream, is well above average for a death metal album. It’s easily their darkest sounding album to date. The guitars have a certain sludgy tone to them making the massive riffs sound almost muddy, but the overall gloominess of the sound compliments the doomy passages in ‘Me-God’ and ‘Children of the Cross’ quite nicely. Unfortunately the bass gets lost in the mix, but that’s to be expected of a death metal band - the guitars and drums are the real powerhouses, and as always, they’re on top of their game. The riffs are much tighter than on the bland Hate Camapign, and the songwriting in general is much stronger. While most songs on Hate Campaign flew by as half-realized ideas, each song on Where Ironcrosses Grow feels like, well, an actual song. What really holds this album back is predictability. We already knew Dismember can provide brutal riffs, but what’s missing from Where Ironcrosses Grow are the risks. It feels like Dismember were still in their comfort zone, every song treading along one after another, nothing really blowing the listener away like ‘Override of the Overture’ or ‘Dreaming in Red’ did on Like an Everflowing Stream and Indecent & Obscene respectively. The album does have its little surprises though, like the nut-crunching breakdown of ‘Chasing the Serpent,’ but it never reaches the same heights as their first two albums. However, when it comes to straight up death metal riffage, not many do it as well as Dismember, and if anything that reason alone makes Where Ironcrosses Grow worth a listen.

Recommended Tracks:
- Where Ironcrosses Grow
- Forged with Hate
- Tragedy of the Faithful
- As I Pull the Trigger




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Comments:Add a Comment 
CK
January 13th 2013


6104 Comments


"Another solid release by Dismember, which is both the best and worst aspect of Where Ironcrosses Grow."

The fact that it is solid is bad?

Insurrection
January 13th 2013


24844 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

In a way yes, since they proved they could be much more than just solid

demigod!
January 13th 2013


49627 Comments


only heard their debut and it is so classic

NightmareCinema16
January 13th 2013


2016 Comments


Ahhh, Insurrection. Nice to see you back. POS on the nice review.

Insurrection
January 13th 2013


24844 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Thanks man! Good to be back :]

Atari
Staff Reviewer
January 13th 2013


28007 Comments


Good review pos

Insurrection
January 13th 2013


24844 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Cheers bud

sustainthesatan
January 13th 2013


212 Comments


good review dude, will chekc this out-loved Everflowing Stream

Insurrection
January 13th 2013


24844 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Thanks man, I'd rec going with Indecent and Death Metal next, but you really can't go wrong with any Dismember.

JamieTwort
January 13th 2013


26988 Comments


Good review. I dig what I've heard of this band's early stuff (including their demos, which rule).

BlackLlama
January 14th 2013


2178 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Another band I can toss on almost their entire discog. and be happy about it. Nice review!

Insurrection
January 14th 2013


24844 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Thanks, yeah Dismember has an incredibly solid discog. Even Hate Campaign has its moments

demigod!
January 14th 2013


49627 Comments


they always have sweet album art too

Insurrection
January 14th 2013


24844 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Massive Killing Capacity has a badass cover. I don't know what the hell that thing is but it looks like it can tear shit up.

sustainthesatan
January 14th 2013


212 Comments


well, i listened and this is pretty decent but nothing too amazing i have to say. maybe a 3

Insurrection
February 2nd 2013


24844 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Fair enough. You should check TGTNW if you haven't yet

Deschutes
December 23rd 2016


558 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

This album is a bit underappreciated it seems

frozencarl
November 9th 2018


1740 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Tragedy of the Faithful is such a banger

hexfix93
January 16th 2019


2848 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Need to rejam this one for sure. Don't recall liking it as much as their latest two records but still a good album.

SaltersofMadness
August 23rd 2019


17 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

This may be the most underrated album of all time. Nonstop riffs for days.



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