Today we venture to the Australian Capital Territory to discover a death metal band by the name of Immorium. Only a fairly young band having formed in 2008 and they have all ready had a few line-up changes. Today I have their first EP
‘Existence To Dust’ for review. So without any further ado, let’s get into it.
The Masses – The introduction to this album consists of a groove based metal guitar rhythm and drum beat. The vocals are of a death style with some clarity. No lyrics came with this CD but I am pretty sure I can understand all the lyrics when I concentrate on them. The pace is quite upbeat most of the time with only a slowing down for some specified head banging time. The drums seem to kick out some good beats with some welcome double kick drumming. There are no solo guitar leads in here, as it is more of a ‘have fun in the moshpit’ style track. Just good ol’ metal lovin’ music.
Catalyst – Immorium seem to be attuned to the more original death metal style of playing much like Bolt Thrower for example; fairly standard yet groove inscribed guitar rhythms with a well paced drum backing. The vocals are still interpretable yet I do find myself phasing out at times as the rhythm and overall sound in this is a tad repetitive. The clarity is excellent though. Whomever did the sound engineering in this did a good job. Though in saying that, the drum kicks could be turned up just a tad more to perfect it.
Existence To Dust – This next track starts out with the sound of rain and a clean/acoustic guitar melody. It’s the second longest track on the EP at 05:33 and the introduction continues until 01:20 when the electric guitar and drums kick in. The drums hammer out some nice double kicks as the guitars thrash out some fervent metal rhythms. It remains at a steady pace for the remainder of the track. There is nothing overly stand out about this music but it does have that old school death metal edge to it which is good to hear.
Infecting The World – The drums lead us into this track along with a slight sound effect. The guitars play a catchy rhythm in parts to keep us enthused. At other times, the music can be quite dulled and slowed, only to be broken by drum rolls. It creates a great atmosphere for the song and keeps the listener entertained. The chorus is quite catchy but I should note the vocals aren’t exactly variable and are quite monotonous in their deathly tone. I think he could improve things by getting some death metal vocal training to improve the range. There is a structural shift at 03:16 where the pace picks up and the music intensifies. It is rather an abrupt ending but it is well done which goes to show how tight this band are.
Visions – Here we have the final track on this EP and the longest at 05:59. The drums are consistent with the kicks and overall pace. As fast as the kicks may be, it is the guitars which set the real pace with the rhythms. The melody in this sounds familiar, maybe a Bolt Thrower track like ‘As The World Burns’ or something along those lines. It makes it pretty catchy overall. Bolt Thrower is definitely the band I’d relate Immorium most to. It is perhaps because I like them so much I am liking this. Regardless, it is the slight grooves within the guitar melodies and the overall heaviness which really captures you with this music. Aside from a slight variance in vocal range, I wouldn’t change a thing.
In essence, Immorium have presented me with a fine EP to share with the world. As noted above, the one band I can most compare them to is Bolt Thrower. So if you like that style of metal, then you’ll certainly like this. The CD I received is possibly what you may buy at the merchandise stand, but I can’t say for sure. There is no CD sleeve as I’ve only got a paper sleeve covering with this, so there are no lyrics available. On the CD itself is a track listing and Myspace address along with a picture of an animal skull. This is a pretty good death metal EP and one which I can recommend the purchase of.
I definitely recommend you check them out on the links below.
LINKS
Immorium Facebook
Immorium Myspace
Review by Déa di Morté © 11 August 2011
All pictures courtesy of Immorium