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░ ██ ██ Artist: Gravesite ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Horrifying Nightmares... █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-12-21 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Xtreem Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Italy's Gravesite may be a relatively new band in █
█ name, but not in spirit. The entity was forged █
█ from the remnants of Undead Creep, which formed in █
█ 2009 with a demo, EP, and full-length under their █
█ belt before calling it a day. David (Assumption, █
█ Haemophagus), bassist Claudio (Ancient Cult, Bland █
█ Vargar), and vocalist Gabri (Black Temple Below, █
█ Cancer Spreading), decided to move forward under a █
█ new name, as well as new guitarist, having picked █
█ up Gioele (Haemophagus, Repulsions) in place of █
█ Samantha (Saturnine). Under the new moniker, the █
█ four-piece issued their first demo, Obsessed by █
█ the Macabre, which was released later that year on █
█ cassette format through Iconoclast Records. █
█ Shortly after, the band started work on their █
█ debut full-length album, which is being handled by █
█ the legendary death metal label Xtreem Music. But █
█ is this "debut" outing one that could have used a █
█ little more maturity for this resurrection, or █
█ have Gravesite already come into their own? █
█ Horrifying Nightmares... will sound like familiar █
█ territory for long-standing death metal veterans, █
█ or previous fans of the band in general. There's █
█ no denying that the remnants of the previous █
█ formation still linger in its ranks, but there's a █
█ little more essence of the likes of Cancer and █
█ Autopsy at work in their music this time around, █
█ as well as a little more of an analog sound █
█ compared to the only full-length issued under the █
█ Undead Creep name. The guitars are a little on the █
█ sharpened side, baring its fangs in an early █
█ Carcass output, while the crisp drums work to █
█ create infectious rhythms with the mild presence █
█ of the bass guitar, adding a little more bite to █
█ the eerie atmospheres the leads can sometimes █
█ create. The vocals also stand a little different, █
█ not quite being as deep and burdensome as they had █
█ been before the initial disbanding. Instead they █
█ have a vile touch to the harsh growls that only █
█ adds to the impact of the b-grade exploitative █
█ horror sensation that appears when the band isn't █
█ indulging themselves in a hint of hardcore thanks █
█ to the random bouts of authoritative grooves that █
█ show from time to time. █
█ For the most part, this effort is a high energy █
█ mixture of brutality and creepy melodies. "Intro - █
█ Anguished Sleep" sets the latter environment up █
█ quite well with a synth piece that could easily █
█ fit a b-movie from the sixties or seventies. About █
█ a minute in, the music slowly picks up, casting █
█ you into a borderline nightmarish world that only █
█ continues to grow more intense, bleeding into █
█ "Submerged in Vomit" through a held guitar note. █
█ The pace returns to as frantic as the prior's █
█ conclusion, throwing the bass guitar pulses at you █
█ with the steady drums and eerie guitar work █
█ Autopsy fans will warmly embrace. There are some █
█ changes that occur and disrupt the timing, but █
█ this is handled either in a quick progressive █
█ manner, or a doom metal tone, the latter coming █
█ into play at just past two-and-a-half minutes in. █
█ "I Want to Rot" is one of the few tracks that █
█ really does manage to break the mold for the most █
█ part. The group cites Death as an influence, which █
█ can be felt early on in the introduction, as well █
█ as starting at the three minute mark. What follows █
█ is more high energy metal that sounds like a █
█ sleeker modern day Swedish death metal assault █
█ with nods to Bolt Thrower and the like, all █
█ without a heavy digital overproduction. The █
█ burdensome churning of doom metal reappears once █
█ more about half way through for a short amount of █
█ time, crawling along with some additional █
█ technicality that moves into an impressive guitar █
█ solo before a hint of Exhumed-style goregrind █
█ kicks in to wrap things up with. █
█ "Where Mortals Fear to Thread", however, stands as █
█ one of the more epic offerings from the group. █
█ Things start with a progressive foothold, quickly █
█ shifting to a standard groove-heavy death metal █
█ cut that slowly picks up both speed and intensity. █
█ Like "Submerged in Vomit", this is one of the few █
█ that rely quite a lot on the bass guitar's output, █
█ bringing the pulse to the forefront in some █
█ segments to weave some burdening traits that only █
█ grow as you reach the half way mark, working with █
█ the drums to suffocate the listener as it pushes █
█ ever more through the tightly packed ground to █
█ freedom. This leads to a frantic exertion █
█ musically, as well as vocally, until the █
█ realization of being trapped in the dank darkness █
█ sets upon you with riffs that slow the adrenaline █
█ for a bit, giving it one more go shortly before it █
█ all caves in on you. █
█ Horrifying Nightmares... acts as a testament for █
█ an era that has made its comeback in metal today, █
█ but often more as a carbon copy than anything all █
█ that original or unique. While this effort shows █
█ clear evidence of its influences, Gravesite are █
█ far from a band of pure hero worship. It's clear █
█ the four-piece is putting a lot of effort into █
█ their music, offering up a good deal of variety █
█ throughout that all feels natural to the flow of █
█ the release (save a few oddball introductions █
█ towards the very end), and the joy they have █
█ playing the material is clearly heard in the album █
█ on every track. Using a number of b-movie scores █
█ to play up the horrific angle of the album's dirty █
█ sounding music that is just the right blend of █
█ crisp, modern day technological abilities and █
█ gritty analog recording methods, Horrifying █
█ Nightmares... stands an enthusiastic slab of death █
█ metal fans of the gritty late eighties to early █
█ nineties days will find plenty of replay value in. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Intro / Anguished Sheep 2:32 ░
░ 2. Submerged in Vomit 4:20 ░
░ 3. Horrifying Nightmares of Flesh and Blood 5:11 ░
░ 4. I Want to Rot 5:26 ░
░ 5. The Painter of Agonies 5:07 ░
░ 6. Where Mortals Fear to Thread 4:55 ░
░ 7. Curse of the Red Moon 3:03 ░
░ 8. Worship Death in All Its Forms 4:13 ░
░ 9. Suscipe Mortem 3:28 ░
░ 38:15 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
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