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░ ██ ██ Artist: Alitor ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Eternal Depression █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-12-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Witches Brew ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Outstanding Serbian thrash metal that aptly █
█ combines the straightforward approach of the 80s █
█ Bay Area sound and the technical edge of bands █
█ like DEATH or ATHEIST. Truly a masterpiece of █
█ Thrash greatness that will ensure snapped necks █
█ and thirsty throats everywhere! From super fast █
█ tracks to more midpaced numbers, this disc is sure █
█ to please anyone who revels in the glory of the █
█ Bay Area sound but look for just a bit more █
█ complexity. Recommended for fans of FORBIDDEN, █
█ EXODUS, VIO-LENCE, HEATHEN, TESTAMENT or the █
█ aforementioned DEATH and ATHEIST. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ By my own admission, I've never been too █
█ interested in thrash metal at large. I've found █
█ the straightforward thrashers and Slayer acolytes █
█ are often too samey and predictable to rightly █
█ justify their speed and aggression. At the same █
█ time, I can't seem to get enough of the thrash █
█ metal that mediates said aggression with a measure █
█ of added technicality and sophistication. █
█ Megadeth's Rust in Peace is arguably the █
█ best-known example of this trend, but it's bands █
█ like Coroner, Watchtower and Mekong Delta that █
█ truly embody thrash's potential for ambitious █
█ technique. Add a pinch of Symbolic-era Death to █
█ this list, and you have an idea as to the █
█ foundations Alitor have built their sound upon. I █
█ crossed paths with their first demo Embittered a █
█ year and a half ago, and was immediately struck by █
█ the skill and songwriting they were boasting at █
█ such an early stage in their musical careers. █
█ Needless to say, I carried some heavy anticipation █
█ for the release of Eternal Depression. █
█ And once again, I am widely impressed by what █
█ Alitor have brought to the table on this, their █
█ full-length debut. Eternal Depression broadly █
█ reasserts the band's ability to channel their █
█ aggression and vitesse through a veil of technical █
█ showmanship and dynamic tempo changes. Painting █
█ Alitor as a Serbian response to Vektor (arguably █
█ the boldest purveyor of 'weird thrash' in the past █
█ decade) wouldn't be out of place, although Alitor █
█ pursue their work with a greater sense of polish █
█ and urgency. Better still, I might offer newcomers █
█ to think of Alitor as a glimpse of what latter-era █
█ Death may have sounded like as a thrash act. To be █
█ sure, many of guitarists Sijan and Stevanovic's █
█ riffs bear a striking resemblance to those of █
█ Chuck Schuldiner's, both in shape and tone. █
█ Given the closely-knit technique and demanding █
█ instrumentation heard on Embittered, the fact that █
█ Eternal Depression is so well-executed doesn't █
█ come as a surprise. Although there are a few █
█ welcome instrumental chunks in the material that █
█ get nuanced and dynamic (most often in the form of █
█ song intros and bridges) much of the disc is █
█ fixated on fierce rhythmic work and aggression. █
█ While these speedy thrash assaults are fairly █
█ par-for-the-course, Alitor's excellence is still █
█ apparent. Stefan Duric's drum work could be █
█ described here as 'busy', and I mean that in the █
█ best-possible way. When the rest of the band is █
█ cooling off, he takes the opportunity to fire even █
█ more hits into his performance, and it absolutely █
█ works; listen to the progressive bridge of "The █
█ Artist of Deception" to see what I mean. Possibly █
█ least common of all in thrash metal, Marko █
█ Todorovic's basswork takes a central role in the █
█ music. As opposed to blindly shadowing the lead █
█ guitar (or getting drowned out of the mix █
█ altogether), the bass is rich and heavy. Most █
█ impressively, the production on Eternal Depression █
█ may be some of the best I've heard on an extreme █
█ metal album in some time. Especially for a debut █
█ album, hearing every ingredient blended in such a █
█ rich, organic fashion has given Alitor a perfect █
█ canvas. Production is a tricky thing even for the █
█ most longstanding bands to master. It's all in █
█ their favour they've perfected it from square one. █
█ The production is what sets Eternal Depression █
█ apart from its predecessor. Embittered sounded █
█ great, but the re-recordings of the three tracks █
█ for inclusion here only goes to show there was █
█ improvement possible in an area I never figured █
█ needed any. It's troubling, then, that matters of █
█ execution are the only thing that make Eternal █
█ Depression a stronger package than the demo in my █
█ eyes. When I wrote about Embittered three halves █
█ of a year ago, I was quick to mention how vivid █
█ and full-bodied Alitor's songwriting was- beyond █
█ the musicianship, it was the thing that made them █
█ stand out. I'm not so sure I feel as enthusiastic █
█ about the songwriting this time around. It █
█ probably doesn't work in the full-length's favour █
█ that the three most best-written and memorable █
█ songs are the three re-recordings from Embittered. █
█ The songwriting on Embittered most often sounded █
█ risky and bold for thrash metal, and even the more █
█ straightforward track ("Embittered") had a vividly █
█ effective, headbanging chorus in its favour. The █
█ fresh cuts on Eternal Depression have certainly █
█ fallen from the same tree so to speak, but the █
█ slight lean towards a more traditionally thrashy █
█ style of songwriting has kept Alitor from sounding █
█ their best. █
█ Although Alitor's vocals (provided again by Marko █
█ Todorovic) already struck me as the weakest part █
█ of Embittered, the more I listen to Eternal █
█ Depression, the more I'm left thinking the amazing █
█ instrumentation is deserving of more focused █
█ vocals. In comparison to most thrash especially, █
█ Marko is a skilled vocalist, but the varied mess █
█ of growls, pissed-off barks, pseudo-melodic █
█ groaning and uninspiring gang chanting doesn't █
█ really spike the momentum. Even in a genre with █
█ such speed and instrumental aggression, vocals in █
█ thrash can be absolutely amazing, be they harsh █
█ (see: Vektor) or clean (see: Watchtower). From the █
█ Hetfield-esque inflections to the aforementioned █
█ gang chants, it seems Alitor aren't entirely sure █
█ what they want to do vocally. Instead of sticking █
█ to one or two vocal styles and building their █
█ character out of that, it sounds here like a blend █
█ of a dozen thrash vocalists, none of which I care █
█ particularly about. I was hoping somewhat that █
█ Eternal Depression would see this vocal potential █
█ unlocked, but there's no dice on this one. █
█ If I was expecting something to capitalize on █
█ every strength of the demo and blow Embittered out █
█ of the water, I think I would be gravely █
█ disappointed. Instead, Eternal Depression has █
█ improved some areas to the point of perfection, █
█ but left others in need of greater care. In terms █
█ of pure musicianship however, Alitor absolutely █
█ destroys; it was true in 2012, and it's doubly so █
█ now. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Realm of Grief 4:02 ░
░ 2. Eternal Depression 5:08 ░
░ 3. Horror 5:13 ░
░ 4. Contorted Existence 5:17 ░
░ 5. Embittered 5:30 ░
░ 6. The Artist of Deception 5:30 ░
░ 7. Nothing Lasts Forever 5:07 ░
░ 8. Drained 5:51 ░
░ 41:38 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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