Usurpress
The Regal Tribe

4.0
excellent

Review

by Scuro EMERITUS
September 28th, 2016 | 64 replies

Release Date: 2016 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Death without distraction.

Having formed a mere six years ago, Sweden’s Usurpress have already carved out quite a unique path for themselves. This year’s The Regal Tribe marks the quartet's third full length album, presenting a sound that combines traditional death metal with equal parts doom and progressive elements. Simultaneously original and yet undoubtedly reminiscent of eras past, the band’s effortless and organic combination of influences yields impressive results. Aided by a warm and full production together with an inclusive mix that never neglects the bass guitar, nor the assorted embellishments, this collection of tracks parades an inviting atmosphere that many of Usurpress’ contemporaries continue to lack. The band members choose to forgo the cold and clinical approach modern death metal seems to favour, instead presenting a wide variety of tones and styles, ranging from aggressive tremolo riffs to Opeth-esque saunters through keyboard-and-synth-kissed instrumentals.

Right from the album’s earliest moments it’s clear that The Regal Tribe will not be your typical death metal fare. Opener ‘Beneath the Starless Skies’ seduces listeners the with an airy sounding arpeggiated riff, blanketed by solemn bass lines and an underlying melody in the background. It’s not until a short time passes before Usurpress reveal the real meat of their sound; chunky and aggressive death-doom with energetic drumming and a gurgling bass presence. Suitably thick riffs that are neither sludgy nor fuzzy, yet reject being thin or piercing, give these Swedes a solid foundation to work with. The real hero of this album is certainly the songwriting, in tandem with the completely organic way the members work together. Equally capable of creating moments like the sombre piano-dominated ‘The Halls of Extinction’ as they are at tackling something as belligerent as the album closer, this album’s success is all down to the fantastic way everything is pieced together. Usurpress also make use of small transitory pieces that lead off from one track and onto the next nearly seamlessly, giving the album a cohesive feeling that allows some drastic evolutions in style to appear smooth and sensible. In addition to the album’s range as a whole, individual tracks pass through myriad sounds and feelings; at one moment shredding through exciting death metal riffage, the next settling into a lumbering stretch of palm muted doom instead. These changes ensure the consistency of Usurpress’s sound never becomes stale. Perhaps the most interesting and generally under-utilised method of introducing variety into the music is something this band excels at; frequent tempo and beat changes. In addition, not only is the tempo itself tampered with on occasion, but quite regularly the guitarist or drummer will switch between beat divisions and accents, giving the illusion of speeding up or slowing down.

Despite deviating from the bare roots of death metal, The Regal Tribe still feels like a refreshing return to the essential elements of the genre. Free from unnecessary bells and whistles, Usurpress instead offer a satisfying slab of hearty music and manage to balance that with their love of doom styles and frequent visits from their progressive side. All of this simply makes the experience more enjoyable. Instead of feeling like a death metal album with decorations, or a ‘collage’ of all three genres, on their latest album Usurpress have crafted a sound of their own – one that never feels contrived or desperate, but rather entirely logical.

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