Review Summary: Campy Death Laden Fun
Hauntingly reminiscent of death metal's heyday, Maul has captured the sonic excess of the genre's founding fathers while maintaining an aurora of ingenuity. Pummeling speed is forsaken for a catchier midtempo waltz that is lined with groovy riffs and unique drum patterns that seek to serve the song at play and nothing more. My love affair with death metal is the campy nature surrounding the horror themes so prevalent in the genre. This atmosphere harkens back to late 70s and early 80s horror flicks that relied heavily on the skill of makeup artists since CGI was still in its infancy. Spookiness rather than existential dread appeared to be the key ingredient in these films. Old School Death Metal, at least for me, has always been able to recreate the lighthearted spooky nature of these films in an indescribable way. The guttural vocals, the drop-tuned guitars, and the thunderous drums are certainly menacing and would be repulsive to the pop music acolyte. Yet, the campy fun can be found in nearly every note, making this album remarkably enjoyable.
The fourth track, Monarchy of Mold, is a perfect summary of what the previous paragraph attempts to illustrate. The atmosphere is claustrophobically oppressive with brooding riffs and screams that sound like they are bubbling out of a slit throat. However, as the song enters the final leg, a creepy organ lightly traverses the track as the vitriol progressively slows. This midtempo death is a thin line to tread. Seraphic Punishment isn't the most dynamic record, yet it has enough transitions to keep your blood pumping and face grinning. Overall, this is a strong debut that should be on every death metal fan's radar.
