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░ ██ ██ Artist: Chemical Breath ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Fatal Exposure █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 1992 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-11-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Crypta Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Chemical Breathà the mere pronunciation of the █
█ name fills your mouth with all kinds of poisonous █
█ chemicals, making you run to the nearest bathroom █
█ to wash your teeth, or to the grocery at the █
█ corner for a pack of Mentos. Yes, itÆs absurd to █
█ think that musicians ôhidingö under that moniker █
█ would be responsible for the second greatest █
█ double (two very strong albums released in quick █
█ succession before the band disappear, or take a █
█ looong hiatus) in metal history, right after the █
█ one achieved by Merciful Fate with ôMelissaö and █
█ ôDonÆt Break the Oathö ten years earlier. Some █
█ American (Agent Steel, Realm, Toxik, Holy Terror, █
█ Heathen) and German (Exumer, Paradox, Vendetta) █
█ heroes, and also the compatriots Target came █
█ close, but all their debut efforts left something █
█ to be desired whereas in this case one can give a █
█ perfect score to both opuses without even first, █
█ let alone second thoughtsà a rare feat for sure. █
█ The band didnÆt quite come splashing on the scene █
█ as they had two demos released before the album █
█ reviewed here. The debut one was a bit sloppy and █
█ rough-around-the edges, not promising much but the █
█ next in line standard thrash/death metal fare; but █
█ the second coming was a stellar technical affair █
█ which saw two tracks from it qualifying for the █
█ official release. The guys had chosen the more █
█ challenging, more technical side of the hybrid, █
█ and although they missed the golden 1991, they █
█ joined a small, but fabulous group of acts who █
█ shaped a most delightful aftermath from the █
█ previous yearÆs ôfloodö of genius: Sadus (ôA █
█ Vision of Miseryö), Baphomet (ôLatest Jesusö), █
█ Decision D (ôRazon de la Muerteö), and Polluted █
█ Inheritance (öEcocideö). █
█ This effort is a perennial delight for the ears █
█ from the first to the last note; ôThe Advantage of █
█ Disbeliefö is the first mind-boggler which fills █
█ the aether with superb clinical technical guitars █
█ the more linear fast-paced passages recalling █
█ Death and Pestilence; hold your mouth shut in the █
█ middle, otherwise your jaws will drop exposed to █
█ the fantastic technical whirlpool stirred the █
█ latter superseded by a breath-taking serene █
█ interlude. ôArachnidö has an imposing doomy intro █
█ the speedy rifforama rising literally out of the █
█ blue before gorgeous melodic pirouettes ôbeautifyö █
█ the dramatic riff-dense environment. ôChamber of █
█ Lostö moves upward with stomping Death-esque █
█ escalations, becoming faster and faster with time, █
█ also more technical as evident from the spiral █
█ shape the riffs acquire in the second half which █
█ also serves pacifying mid-tempo stomps. █
█ ôDeny Fearö is a crunchy hallucinogenic shredder █
█ which breaks the initially instilled mid-paced █
█ ôidyllö with fierce death/thrashing that will keep █
█ the headbangers happy all over. ôErased from █
█ Existenceö, a cut from the demo, is a supreme █
█ speedy technicaller ala PestilenceÆs ôTestimony of █
█ the Ancientsö which still finds time for a more █
█ engaging progressive build-up that forms a █
█ spell-binding symbiosis with a more technical dash █
█ the memory of this grandiosity erased from the █
█ listenerÆs mind by the next in line █
█ super-aggressive ending. ôSeveral Hours to █
█ Judgementö adheres to smattering virtuous gallops █
█ boding a marginally more conventional delivery, █
█ but watch out for the mazey riff-formulas breaking █
█ the stride mid-way, and the more laid-back, █
█ lead-driven decisions before the hyper-active █
█ exit. ôLost Tribesö ôflirtsö with more melodic █
█ tunes retaining the intrigue with a splash of █
█ brilliant more dynamic riffage, the ôcarnageö █
█ resumed on full-throttle mere seconds later, the █
█ gallops called for help again amidst the furious █
█ stylish cannonades. ôHideous Perspectivesö █
█ unleashes all the technical perspectiveà sorry, █
█ exuberance from the get-go leaving no secrets for █
█ the fan who will still be left thoroughly bemused █
█ by the unpredictable vortexes which here donÆt █
█ develop beyond the staggering mid-pace the urgent █
█ stomps provided later pacifying the █
█ hyper-intricate drama. ôMutilationö, another █
█ qualifier from the demo, has the (un)grateful task █
█ to finish this masterpiece, and it doesnÆt █
█ disappoint with its sweeping brisk technical █
█ guitars, the disorienting tempo shifts, and the █
█ stunning time-signatures before a lengthy ambient █
█ outro puts an end to the whole very eventful █
█ hustleÆn bustle. █
█ ItÆs interesting to note that all the mentioned █
█ 1992 albums, with the possible exception of the █
█ Baphomet saga, sound like mixtures of two █
█ recordings of the preceding year: DeathÆs ôHumanö █
█ and PestilenceÆs ôTestimony of the Ancientsö, the █
█ latter instalment finding its most logical █
█ follow-up on the album reviewed here while the █
█ other three cling more towards the Death opus. █
█ Very wise choices to follow as models by all means █
█ as our Belgian friends and the Steve DiGiorgio █
█ gang had managed to create something way more than █
█ mere emulation by even enhancing the templates █
█ used, giving them more expansive parametres with a █
█ wider array of rhythmic patterns and denser riff █
█ applications, not to mention the still ôroamingö █
█ thrash additives. Death metal was still a coherent █
█ genre at the time, no ôpollutantsö, no █
█ diversifying tools, and some may see these works █
█ as the culmination of the technical side of the █
█ style in its early, still ephemerally █
█ thrash-peppered form. The ôdarkö aspect of the █
█ style was already suggested on the Suffocation █
█ debut ôEffigy of the Forgottenö (also 1991), still █
█ in its pristine unpolished shape, but it was █
█ obvious that technical/progressive sophistication █
█ and intelligence werenÆt going to be tolerated █
█ much longer on the scene as the ôdazzling █
█ brutalityö movement was gathering inertia. █
█ Not that Chemical Breath cared too much about that █
█ as they shot their sophomore ôValuesö two years █
█ later, another marvellous recording, proceeding in █
█ the same striking technical vein even notching it █
█ up in that department with more labyrinthine, more █
█ head-shaking configurations. A truly fabulous, █
█ albeit very short career which could have had a █
█ nice sequel after the guitar player Alain Chernouh █
█ joined the promising Dutch technical/progressive █
█ thrashers Form for the production of their █
█ excellent debut ôI Choose My Ownö. Sadly, he █
█ didnÆt last very long with his neighbours, but █
█ ironically was replaced by his former colleague █
█ from Chemical Breath, Rene Rokx, the other █
█ guitarist, who took part in the making of the █
█ DutchÆs sophomore ôShock Corridorö, a █
█ disappointing groovy post-thrash affair which █
█ terminated their career with ship-sinking █
█ reverberations. The band members were obviously █
█ looking for ways to keep in form since they never █
█ abandoned the Chemical Breath cause completely, █
█ and are alive and well in the new millennium, █
█ reportedly bracing for a new spell with the music █
█ industry. So it wonÆt be just a double for them █
█ thenà LetÆs see if they could achieve the █
█ proverbial fantastic treble! █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ The album Fatal Exposure by Belgian band Chemical █
█ Breath creates a great blend of death metal and █
█ thrash on this release. The album begins with a █
█ weird ambient part that lasts for about a minute █
█ and a half then cuts into drumming that reminds me █
█ of what the preparation for a battle would sound █
█ like. A little shredding along with harsh vocals █
█ come into play soon enough. This is all part of █
█ just the first song "The Advantage of Disbelief". █
█ About halfway through that song there are some █
█ subtle female vocals and whispering followed by █
█ only what I can describe as ecstasy in guitar █
█ form. This solo is orgasmic to say the least, my █
█ favorite part of the whole album, too bad it is so █
█ short...Although there are plenty of solos on the █
█ album. After that the song cuts back into the █
█ catchy main riff and ends. This is just one song █
█ into the album.... out of eight. █
█ Some songs on the album can be related to █
█ Obituary, I especially think "Arachnid" sounds █
█ this way. "Erased From Existence" is a little █
█ heavier sounding and just kind of pulls you down, █
█ while still maintaining a fast pace. "Deny Fear" █
█ is sort of like the last song and the two go good █
█ together. █
█ I'm not going to describe the rest of the songs █
█ (and probably shouldn't have described any like I █
█ did)... but all in all, if you like death metal, █
█ and you like thrash metal, you like this album. █
█ Some of it lacks in originality, but since it was █
█ produced in 1992, this is somewhat of a moot █
█ point. If you listen to and like the first song on █
█ this album, you'll probably like the rest of the █
█ material here. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Advantage of Disbelieve 5:57 ░
░ 2. Arachnid 4:02 ░
░ 3. Chamber of Lost 4:10 ░
░ 4. Deny Fear 3:57 ░
░ 5. Erased from Existence 3:08 ░
░ 6. Several Hours to Sudgement 3:48 ░
░ 7. Lost Tribes 4:32 ░
░ 8. Hideous Perspectives 3:45 ░
░ 9. Mutilation 5:11 ░
░ 38:30 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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