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░ ██ ██ Artist: Filtheater ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Blight of Sempiternal Putrefaction █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2019 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-06-29 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Memento Mori ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Much of the most compelling underground death █
█ metal filth to come from the United States in the █
█ last two decades has been driven by self-directed █
█ musicians who are often non-collaborative in █
█ studio for the sake of their own vision. This █
█ isolated sort of musician becomes a jack of all █
█ trades and often master of none as limited █
█ communication skills often lead to truly bent █
█ works without any of the checks and balances a █
█ creative bureaucracy brings. There are very few █
█ who break through in this way that contribute █
█ something of actual vibrancy or depth, especially █
█ in the field of rotten mush-spewing brutal death █
█ metal. Lectern are a fine example of the way out █
█ of that sort of creative rut through intense █
█ focus, once theyÆd move beyond recreating their █
█ earliest pieces, thatÆd expand into a more █
█ collaborative situation. The Wakedead Gathering is █
█ perhaps the most impressive opposing argument as █
█ multi-instrumentalist Andrew Lampe has developed █
█ his own unique unhindered beast through sheer █
█ determination and focus. There is surely another █
█ side to this and it typically comes with the █
█ bloated, anything goes rectum of Bandcamp as █
█ musicians find their ideal personal home studio █
█ setup and iterate like madmen. Jared Moran aka SLK █
█ aka K.J. aka Jjarnd Msdiun aka ShaolinLambKiller █
█ (54R, Ange de la Mort, Bloodsick, Corpse Arise, █
█ Drag≤n Blanco, Draug, Eats Aids, Er Murazor, █
█ Flittering, Forestfather, Hollowed Idols, █
█ Ishimura, Kamikaze Pilots, Maggot Crown, Morgue █
█ Walker, Mountain of Beard, Myrkridia, Occulsed, █
█ Oshiego, Putrefying Cadaverment, Raum, Shokushu █
█ Goukan, Spawning Vats, Subterranean Birthright, █
█ The Breaking Wheel, The Plague Doctor, Uzumaki, █
█ Vomitwolves, Xvart, Your End, Yzordderrex, Zombie █
█ Raiders, Ithaqua, Scowl, ex-Immaculate █
█ Molestation, Confined Space, Dragunov, Old Woman █
█ with No Teeth, ex-Cosmic Atrophy, ex-Gurthang, █
█ ex-Vixenta, ex-Bunker Buster, ex-Driven by █
█ Suffering, ex-Recovery Period, ex-S & M Party, █
█ ex-Seppuku, ex-The Men Behind the Sun, ex-The █
█ Nautilus) is well and clearly the sort of folk who █
█ runs with any and all ideas had, often committing █
█ them to tape entirely by himself and releasing █
█ several projects on his own Speed Ritual Records █
█ imprint. Chances are youÆve never heard any of █
█ those groups listen, maybe Cosmic Atrophy if █
█ youÆre lucky, and IÆd say it might be because █
█ quantity over quality is too natural an assumption █
█ to avoid when faced with such a constant stream of █
█ work. So, should you take one of his more █
█ promising brutal death metal acts, Filtheater, █
█ seriously? █
█ ItÆll all boil down to a matter of taste and █
█ expectation. For the classic brutal death metal █
█ fan who enjoys a rifle-tuned snare hit, chunky █
█ discordance, and distortion gargling tonality █
█ there is a filthy ruthlessness within æBlight of █
█ Sempiternal PutrefactionÆ thatÆll immediately █
█ satisfy with pure variation on a theme. Filtheater █
█ formed as a full band back in 2010 but it doesnÆt █
█ appear like the project had really been up to much █
█ of anything beyond 2013 after the release of their █
█ fourth EP, æCrepusculeÆ. All of their material up █
█ to that point had been the same brand of Mortician █
█ and Avulsed driven percussive brutality that was █
█ intentioned towards classic brutality, filth, █
█ those rot-chugging milk-churn snare slapping █
█ psycho-blasted beasts that were so stupid youÆd █
█ laugh at but hey, probably bought the CD off their █
█ MySpace page back in 2002. Putrevore is probably █
█ one of the more successful examples of this in █
█ recent memory but theyÆd never quite clunk out █
█ like Brodequin or dip into the technical nuances █
█ of Immolation influenced brutal death. This is █
█ more or less a void that Filtheater are beginning █
█ to fill though their modus is all savagery and █
█ skronking fits that often fails to capitalize upon █
█ potential bursts of memorable moments. What is █
█ æmissingÆ from their demo-era old school brutal █
█ death style is the sort of ôchange upö dynamic █
█ that holds cult bands like Morpheus Descends in █
█ high regard today whereas straightforward groups █
█ like Torture Krypt or Phlegm fade into the deeper █
█ recesses of collector hell with each passing year. █
█ As a pretentious old school death metal fan, I █
█ love that chunky and thugged-out approach mixed █
█ with Incantation-esque (ôSwallowed at Duskö) █
█ breaks but with specified orthodoxy comes some █
█ lack of interest within the overall variation. █
█ There is a fine line between being beaten-up by a █
█ brutal drum performance (Adversarialæs debut) and █
█ being annoyed by it (any Enmity album) and one of █
█ the big draws on æBlight of Sempiternal █
█ PutrefactionÆ is that Moran gets it right with an █
█ unhinged and messy skin-slapping performance █
█ throughout. If youÆre not as thrilled by stylized █
█ death metal percussion as I am then the oft abrupt █
█ and serrated sluice of chugs and discordant █
█ scrapes that drive each piece should tingle both █
█ old school garage death metal demo fans and 2000Æs █
█ basement chug heads. No doubt youÆll hear █
█ generations of NYDM and what IÆd consider Czech or █
█ Russian æclassicÆ era brutal death severity across █
█ the board and thatÆll be the niche that finds █
█ Filtheater most redeeming unless the dissonant █
█ moments end up carrying the record for your █
█ tastes. After a handful of listens I ended up █
█ putting this record on the back burner for about a █
█ month and came back to it with fresh ears and came █
█ to appreciate the creative nuance of the guitar █
█ work. æBlight of Sempiternal PutrefactionÆ does █
█ begin to sound somewhat redundant in its second █
█ half though the last four tracks are redeemed █
█ thanks to the strong finish of ôChalice Made of █
█ Boneö. █
█ Trite as it might sound considering all of the █
█ glossy death metal options coming out of the █
█ woodwork every week year round there is something █
█ special about a death metal band that kicks up █
█ such a fucked-up, methed-out, roaring spectacle. █
█ Filtheater gouge hard and leave a bloody mess as █
█ they worm their way in so, IÆd say theyÆre worth █
█ giving a chance despite the braindead zombie hulk █
█ æBlight of Sempiternal PutrefactionÆ appears to █
█ be. Moderately high recommendation. For preview █
█ IÆd suggest my own two favorite tracks ôMalevolent █
█ Transcendenceö and ôMonologues of Reveranceö. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ There are some labels that I have a special █
█ fondness for. To give you an example, whenever I █
█ see the Wild Rags, Distortion or United Guttural █
█ logo on a release, I'll buy it without much █
█ hesitation. More recent labels that can count on █
█ this unconditional love are Dark Descent, Sevared █
█ and Spain's Memento Mori. And it's the last one █
█ mentioned here that gave us Filtheater's first █
█ full length. The label likened the band's sound to █
█ acts such as Autopsy, Nuclear Death, Incantation █
█ and Entety. I don't know about you but that shit's █
█ right up my alley. Seeing as it is one of my █
█ favorite labels, I ordered it without hesitation. █
█ I've got it on repeat for a week now, and what a █
█ rager it is! █
█ This is a vitriolic maelstrom of chaotic death █
█ metal fury, simple as that. "Blight of Sempiternal █
█ Putrefaction" is without a doubt one of the most █
█ menacing albums of these last few years. Imagine █
█ Incantation's "Diabolical Conquest" but grimier. █
█ Way grimier. The downtuned guitars and chaotic █
█ riffing blend together perfectly with the raging █
█ drumming to create a dense atmosphere of fith and █
█ fury. A thick and dirty production tops it all off █
█ brilliantly. There is very little in the way of █
█ melody or unnecessary interludes, this awesome █
█ beast of an album just relentlessly bludgeons you █
█ to death. Most of the music rages on at high █
█ speed, only taking the foot of the accelerator for █
█ the occasional interlude and slow part here and █
█ there. The sick riffing, the frantic percussion, █
█ the puked vocal delivery and the great cover art, █
█ for me this is pure art. Truly the essence of █
█ putrid death metal in my opinion. █
█ This certainly isn't for the weak of heart. It's █
█ heavy, crushing and the overall execution is about █
█ as subtle as hitting a baby over the head with a █
█ hammer. If you like the bands mentioned above, you █
█ can snatch this up without hesitation. And if you █
█ can stomach stuff like Brodequin, Pissgrave and █
█ Adversarial as well, there's a pretty good chance █
█ you'll have a good time with Filtheater too. I █
█ know I do. █
█ As a conclusion: the year may be only half way but █
█ I think I've got my album of the year already. █
█ Recommended! █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Malevolent Transcendence 4:27 ░
░ 2. Faceless Caverns 4:25 ░
░ 3. A Veiled Loathing Throne 3:26 ░
░ 4. Monologues of Reverance 4:24 ░
░ 5. Swallowed at Dust 4:28 ░
░ 6. Vapors of Human Sacrifice 3:59 ░
░ 7. Unwelcome Illuminated Curiousity 5:05 ░
░ 8. Amorphous Bulging Appendages 3:13 ░
░ 9. Chalice Made of Bone 4:26 ░
░ 37:53 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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