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░ ██ ██ Artist: Undersave ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Now.. Submit your Flesh to the Master's █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2012 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-02-28 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: War Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ This Portuguese band bypasses both old school █
█ molds (Swedeath and Incantation) for a less █
█ represented sound of the early '90s, that of the █
█ first progressive/technical death metal bands. █
█ Resembling Human-era Death, pre-weirded-out █
█ Gorguts, early '90s Sadus, and maybe even Cadaver █
█ circa In Pains, they construct lengthy songs made █
█ up of many interlocking layers. These connect to █
█ one another in a cyclic manner before leading █
█ erupting new segments like sudden parasitic █
█ growths, soon integrating into the overall body of █
█ the composition as it seemingly revolts against █
█ itself until it reaches a thunderous conclusion. █
█ Its semi-cyclic nature gives it a hypnotic █
█ atmosphere broken by violent interruption, █
█ hearkening back to the influence of first album █
█ Darkthrone upon them in spite of its laser-precise █
█ modern musicianship. █
█ The guitar work is multi-faceted, taking meat and █
█ potatoes riff shapes and giving them the strictly █
█ sharpened talents of an experienced axe man as he █
█ plays dense rhythm and noodling lead melodies █
█ against one another in a delicious battle of █
█ contrasts. Bass is never more than a few steps █
█ behind, humbly understated, but precise in its █
█ internal harmonization as it fleshes out nooks and █
█ crannies left in the devastation. Drumming doesn't █
█ fall quite into post-Suffocation jackhammering or █
█ the jazz-fusion-inspired kit-torture associated █
█ with this genre, striking a middle ground between █
█ the former's raw power and the quick-wristed █
█ textural variety of the latter which fits █
█ perfectly with the schizophrenic approach. Vokills █
█ are a rumbling growl, its tone at the mid-low █
█ register and primarily serving as additional █
█ rhythmic punch. █
█ I've heard this style called "retroprogressive" █
█ before and it's not hard to hear why. The pieces █
█ of this puzzle might be "old", but this band has █
█ given them a new life in this modern update of █
█ death metal's first perceived innovators. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ With an approach to composition nearly nearly as █
█ labyrinthine as their debut album title, █
█ Portugal's Undersave attempt to kick up a little █
█ ambition into the current wave of old school death █
█ metal nostalgia. It pays off. It pays off rather █
█ well, in fact, and though I wouldn't dub it the █
█ catchiest or most unique fixture of sound in this █
█ scene, Now...Submit Your Flesh to the Master's █
█ Imagination definitely belongs to that crop of █
█ compelling efforts which seek to push the 'retro' █
█ into the future, rather than merely settling for █
█ what's simply come before to a fault. We heard █
█ this through Horrendous' debut The Chills, through █
█ Morbus Chron's Sleepers in the Rift, the eponymous █
█ Necrovation sophomore, and works by Sonne Adam, █
█ Tribulation, The Wakedead Gathering, etc. That █
█ rare ability to move simultaneously forward and █
█ backwards through the medium and offer us a more █
█ refreshing disposition on a movement that was █
█ partly built as a reaction to the brickwalled, █
█ mechanical nature of brutal and technical modern █
█ death metal. All the while avoiding the cavernous █
█ claptrap of the exhausted Incantation clone, and █
█ the staggering redundancy of the Swede-o-philiac █
█ scene. █
█ When I mentioned that Undersave's sound was █
█ 'labyrinthine', I did not mean to imply that they █
█ perform with enormous levels of technical █
█ complexity, but rather they possess an endless █
█ barrage of riffs, many of which are quite vile █
█ sounding, so pleasing to the ear on this sort of █
█ recording. The rhythm guitars have this abrasive, █
█ in your face fuzz tone about them that really █
█ stands out, but the rest of the instruments are so █
█ perfectly mixed in with them, which allows for an █
█ array of other nuances to shine through. For one, █
█ the bass often has a lilting, progressive groove █
█ to it which reminds me of 90s Death and █
█ Pestilence, an interesting marriage with the █
█ fleshier tremolo picking of the rhythm guitars. █
█ The drums also arrive at the forefront, with a lot █
█ of clap and crash to them, but the kicks aren't █
█ forced too loudly, so you get a serious old school █
█ Floridian vibe which is also felt through some of █
█ the riffing influences. It's pretty difficult to █
█ compare their writing to any one band of olde, █
█ which is precisely what I so enjoy about this █
█ album. At times I felt a seminal Finnish vibe █
█ similar to a Demigod or Convulse, at others a tint █
█ of US abominations like Immolation, Incantation █
█ and Autopsy. And of course a hint of old █
█ Pestilence. The guttural used here, however, is █
█ quite blunt and monstrous, often panned off into a █
█ slightly raspier tone, which only adds to the █
█ layers and variation of the experience. Did I █
█ mention this was only a duo? █
█ Though a number of the songs are heavyweights at █
█ 7-8 minutes, Now...Submit Your Flesh to the █
█ Master's Imagination clocks in at a concise 42 █
█ minutes, much of which is impressive. There is, to █
█ some extent, a front-loading of the most quality █
█ material, and the titular opening cut and "Digging █
█ and Blocking the Exit to the Unwanted Freedom" █
█ were my personal favorites, but on the other hand, █
█ Undersave was wise to ramp up the variation on the █
█ later tracks, beginning at the half-way point, a █
█ brief and resonant instrumental called "Akedφa". █
█ That said, there are quite a few tempos being █
█ explored throughout the entire effort, from choppy █
█ and moderate blast beats, to currents of salacious █
█ grooves, wells of chugging dissonance and █
█ explosions of more nuanced and intricate picking █
█ progressions. From fore to aft I can't say I was █
█ ever treated to anything stagnant, predictable or █
█ highly repetitive, and even after a half dozen █
█ spins the material really held up. The lyrics have █
█ a very clinical feel about them which reminded me █
█ quite a lot of the first two Pestilence albums, █
█ and they're worth exploring just as much as the █
█ music itself. With production the consistency of █
█ freshly tilled grave dirt, and constantly █
█ interesting and memorable musicianship, this is █
█ one debut well worth acquiring for any serious fan █
█ of fundamental death metal that doesn't play it █
█ too safe... █
█ █
█ █
█ Recorded, mixed and mastered at Brugo Sound Studio █
█ and Moshpit Studios during the end of 2011. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Now.. Submit Your Flesh to the Master's 8:06 ░
░ Imagination ░
░ 2. Digging and Blocking the Exit to the 6:59 ░
░ Unwanted Freedom ░
░ 3. Assuming the Position.. a Way to 7:06 ░
░ Criticize One's Own Hypocrisy ░
░ 4. Akedia 2:23 ░
░ 5. Disfigured Routine 7:43 ░
░ 6. Abnormal Virility 5:32 ░
░ 7. Anthology.. Landings 4:13 ░
░ 42:02 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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