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░ ██ ██ Artist: Excommunicated ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Skeleton Key █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2011 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-04-15 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: UW Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Excommunicated is a young black/death metal act, █
█ but do not be fooled by its recent formation for █
█ the individual members behind the band are all █
█ veterans in their own rights in the Louisiana █
█ metal scene. While most of the members of the band █
█ are/were involved in death metal acts, █
█ Excommunicated, with their debut full length album █
█ Skeleton Key, features a more blackened sound and █
█ it is definitely going to be interesting to hear █
█ what these death metal veterans are capable of, █
█ with their foray into formerly uncharted waters. █
█ The album opens with the obligatory instrumental █
█ introductory track, The Abandonment of Hope, which █
█ fortunately fits the atmosphere and the title of █
█ the album suitably, with the progression of the █
█ rhythm guitars and the almost-sorrowful lead █
█ guitar line at the foreground, breeding an ominous █
█ mood, unlike the many bands that have an █
█ instrumental intro for the sake of it. █
█ With The Incorruptibles, the band wastes no time █
█ with the relentless blasting of drummer David █
█ (also of Borknagar) and black metal guitar riffs █
█ that could easily come out of Finnish black metal █
█ bands like Sargeist. However, the appearance of █
█ vocalist Chad instantly removes all hopes of this █
█ being yet another usual black metal album (which █
█ is certainly a good thing), with his almost █
█ undecipherable low, guttural growls, more fitting █
█ of brutal death metal bands. Chad alternates █
█ between such growls and shrieks throughout the █
█ record, and at times the two styles are layered on █
█ top of each other, providing a fuller sound █
█ effect, raping the ears of the listener without █
█ mercy. Emotions of the songs are displayed not █
█ only through the music but also through the way █
█ Chad sings out the lyrics, such as on Cry to █
█ Heaven, sounding almost like a desperate plea. █
█ Guitarists Jason and Jonathan also experiment with █
█ various styles of guitar playing, such as on The █
█ Incorruptibles, with the extravagant play on the █
█ whammy bar on the solo towards the end of the █
█ track, invoking a scene of chaos. The drumming of █
█ David is certainly a nice touch to Skeleton Key as █
█ he blasts his way through with speed and █
█ precision. The inclusion of numerous sound samples █
█ throughout the album also help to keep the █
█ anticipation up, especially on The Birth of █
█ Tragedy. █
█ What is interesting on the album is the vast █
█ amount of influences that the band has put into █
█ the music, not limited only to black and death █
█ metal. Songs like Cry to Heaven include riffs and █
█ lead guitar lines that could have easily fit on a █
█ folk metal album. There is also the chaotic, █
█ Slayer-esque solo on The Vatican Orgies, filled █
█ with rage and anger. The brutal vocals and the at █
█ times start-stop riffing make it sound more like a █
█ brutal death metal song instead. Chad further █
█ displays his vocal range on Christ's Sword, █
█ leaning more towards a punk/thrash metal shout at █
█ times, yet at the same song the solos feel more █
█ melodic death metal-inspired. But fans of black █
█ metal fret not, as the black metal influences are █
█ constantly present on the album through the █
█ generally cold and bleak riffing guitarists Jason █
█ and Jonathan. █
█ Also, to ensure the full experience of the album, █
█ the lyrics are a necessity, with thought-provoking █
█ lines written by Chad and many references that █
█ show that the band has indeed done their homework █
█ and is not here to just scream brainless █
█ blasphemous lyrics. █
█ Despite the quality of the music on the album, █
█ there are few riffs that actually left a mark and █
█ impression on me, resulting in the listener having █
█ to go back to the album repeatedly to refresh the █
█ memory of what Skeleton Key sounds like. Don't be █
█ put off by this though, as repeated listens have █
█ proven to be fruitful with new discoveries with █
█ each new listen. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ After the Louisiana black/death metal veterans █
█ Catholicon disbanded in 2009, vocalist Chad Kelly █
█ decided to form new band together with Jonathan █
█ Joubert and Jason McIntyre, former members of █
█ Louisiana death metal bands Despondency and Suture █
█ respectively. For the recording of debut album, █
█ which was named "Skeleton Key", they've invited █
█ David Kinkade, current drummer of Borknagar, as █
█ well as such notable guests as Andy LaRocque and █
█ Vincent Crowley, whose names are definitely known █
█ to anyone who is not new to metal. So, as you may █
█ guess, with such a line-up the approach to the █
█ recording process had to be quite serious, and █
█ this undoubtedly can be noticed in the sound and █
█ production quality. The approach to lyrics writing █
█ was no less serious, and in the booklet one can █
█ find a lot of interesting information about █
█ crusades, inquisition, Vatican orgies, and other █
█ dark pages of the history of Catholic Church, █
█ which are the main themes of this conceptual █
█ album. █
█ But now let's go back to the music. The death █
█ metal past of band members definitely shines █
█ through the whole album, but they try to add █
█ variety of influences. The music varies from █
█ straightforward Florida-style brutal death metal █
█ to more technical and/or melodic parts to some █
█ darker, "blackened" passages, from fast blasting █
█ rhythms to mid-tempo to watered-down slow parts. █
█ Melodic solos, samples of Christian chants, some █
█ keyboards, vocals that range from deep growls to █
█ almost clean onesà Yet the whole jumble sounds not █
█ much convincing to my ears. It just looks like an █
█ attempt to combine the latest tendencies in █
█ extreme metal in order to create "successful" █
█ album with some notorious guests to draw more █
█ attention. Some things like whispers and clean, █
█ almost rapping vocals look simply stupid and out █
█ of place. █
█ This album is for teenage metalheads, who are the █
█ main target audience of mainstream extreme metal, █
█ but not for someone who is looking for thoughtful █
█ piece of art with feelings and atmosphere. The █
█ booklet turned out to be the most interesting █
█ thing here, as there's nothing new and original in █
█ the music itself. For me this album is nothing but █
█ 45 minutes of empty riffs, solos and growls. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Louisiana is generally a territory most associate █
█ with the sludge and doom scene, but when I read █
█ that Excommunicated balanced a hybrid of black and █
█ death metal, I admit I was expecting a direct █
█ parallel to the sound of their statesmen █
█ Goatwhore. Instead, they are actually quite █
█ versatile, and I can hear everything from thrash █
█ and grind to the advertised death and black (the █
█ last through only a handful of riffs and snarled █
█ vocals, admittedly). The lyrics and titles would █
█ seem to suggest a sacrilegious leaning akin to █
█ many extreme metal acts out of the US, but the █
█ sound they've pinpointed is distinct enough that █
█ they could call it their own, even if it does █
█ occasionally spread the quality of their debut, █
█ Skeleton Key, somewhat thin. █
█ Variation is the crux of their ability, and thus █
█ one should not expect any two tracks here to sound █
█ precisely the same. For example, "The █
█ Incorruptibles" begins as a rather average melodic █
█ black metal passage, then peters out to brutal █
█ death metal with a hint of grind. "Cry to Heaven" █
█ flows from an eerie folk/blues intro to a warm, █
█ almost majestic mix of pagan metal bombast and █
█ post hardcore threads, while the double bass █
█ hammers away underneath. "The Vatican Orgies" has █
█ a more technical bent to it, with intricate and █
█ catchy riffing cycles and bloodcurdling vocals. █
█ The array of weaponry at display is formidable, █
█ and the competence in both drumming and guitars is █
█ unavoidable. Excommunicated have also seen fit to █
█ adorn their compositions with all manner of █
█ surprises, like the atmospheric bridge of "The Sum █
█ of Life's Pain" with its doomy drawl and drifting, █
█ dark pianos. The use of vocal samples, chants, and █
█ stylistic segues leaves a more novel and complete █
█ impression, a well rounded experience. █
█ Skeleton Key also benefits from a clear, yet █
█ punchy production that capitalizes upon the █
█ obvious proficiency of the band. Clear without █
█ seeming over-polished, they keep their time well, █
█ and the various outside influences on the music █
█ are mixed seamlessly into the froth of extremity █
█ and groove. The one real element that stymied my █
█ enjoyment was that the riffs, as acrobatic as they █
█ are, are never all that memorable. A few █
█ exceptions, like "The Vatican Orgies" or "Keys to █
█ the Kingdom of God" do exist here, with a taut and █
█ penetrating notation, but the lions share of the █
█ tracks don't quite sink in. That said, they always █
█ keep the composition busy enough that you don't █
█ have much time to actually dwell upon this fact, █
█ and the band's myriad talents and compounding of █
█ metallic sub-genres surface more than not. █
█ Skeleton Key is an experience of which the █
█ components all possess a precedent, but the █
█ precise fashion by with the Louisiana quartet █
█ formulate them into a bludgeoning, writing whole █
█ is distinct enough for those seeking something █
█ both punishing and clean. The potential here is █
█ staggering, even if this debut doesn't hit all the █
█ marks of a classic. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Abandonment of Hope 2:06 ░
░ 2. The Incorruptibles 4:55 ░
░ 3. Cry to Heaven 6:28 ░
░ 4. Minutes of the Corpse Trials 3:56 ░
░ 5. The Vatican Orgies 4:18 ░
░ 6. Christs Sword 7:17 ░
░ 7. When Death Claims Its Most Righteous 3:53 ░
░ Dead ░
░ 8. The Birth of Tragedy 4:58 ░
░ 9. Keys to the Kingdom of God 3:43 ░
░ 10. The Sum of All Life's Pain 3:18 ░
░ 44:52 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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