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/:: Artist :: Demigod ::\
:: Album :: Slumber of Sullen Eyes ::
:: Year :: 2022 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Death Metal Source :: WEB/MP3 . ::
:: Label :: Svart Records R.date :: 2022-12-02 ::
_::__ Size :: 115.49MB S.date :: 2022-12-02 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: :\
..: Bitrate :: CBR 320kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. .
http://deezer.com/album/359412797
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
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/:: ::\
:: ::
:: ::
:: 1. Apocryphal 0:22 ::
:: 2. As I Behold I Despise 4:38 ::
:: 3. Dead Soul 3:43 ::
:: 4. The Forlon 4:04 ::
:: 5. Tears of God 5:14 ::
:: 6. Slumber of Sullen Eyes 5:58 ::
:: 7. Embrace the Darkness 5:03 ::
:: 8. Blood of the Perished 4:17 ::
:: 9. Fear Obscures from Within 4:29 ::
:: 10. Transmigration Beyond Eternities 3:39 ::
:: 11. Towards the Shrouded Infinity 3:45 ::
:: 12. Perpetual Ascent 2:48 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 48:00 ..
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/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Hailing from Finland, home to some of the best death metal ::
:: around, Demigod released their first album, Slumber Of Sullen ::
:: Eyes, in 1992. In addition, most of FinlandÆs great death metal ::
:: is from the period from 1990-1996, so Demigod fits perfectly ::
:: within this frame. In a sense, this is classic Finnish death ::
:: metal. At the same time, Demigod did enough differently to ::
:: stand out from their peers, who were all releasing great albums ::
:: themselves, while also staying quite true to the Finnish sound. ::
:: ::
:: For starters, this album is packed full of excellent riffs, one ::
:: of the defining characteristics of Finnish death metal. More ::
:: importantly, the guitars have ôthat toneö which leaves no doubt ::
:: in the listenerÆs mind as to where this is from. Just as ::
:: Swedish death metal (real death metal, not that Gothenburg ::
:: crap) has its trademark ôbuzzsawö guitar sound, Finnish death ::
:: metal has a somewhat deeper, heavier sound with more emphasis ::
:: on low-end frequencies and bass presence. This sound alone ::
:: defined an entire scene, but in DemigodÆs case, they took this ::
:: defining sound and transformed it just enough so that they ::
:: could make this sound their own. ::
:: ::
:: This is clear from the first track here, æAs I Behold I ::
:: DespiseÆ. Starting with the standard blastbeats and ::
:: tremolo-picked riffs, Demigod quickly transitions into a more ::
:: groove-laden riff, while also varying up the drums on multiple ::
:: occasions throughout the duration of this riffÆs presence. ::
:: Beneath the deep guttural vocals, the great riffs just keep ::
:: coming. At this point though, the more melodic part of ::
:: DemigodÆs music starts to appear, with a deep, gloomy, ::
:: melancholic guitar lead. This lead reappears soon later after ::
:: another lead and transitions into a short solo. More important, ::
:: however, is the simple chord pattern employed under the lead ::
:: guitar. This simple, depressing-sounding rhythm is critical to ::
:: defining the despair-filled atmosphere of this song. Towards ::
:: the end of the song, one of the guitarists continues to use ::
:: this rhythm while the other plays a slower version of the lead ::
:: from before, adding even more to the atmosphere. The song then ::
:: ends with a simple riff over some relatively slow double bass ::
:: drumming. ::
:: ::
:: While all of the songs on this album are distinct from each ::
:: other, this serves as a prime example for explaining what ::
:: Demigod do and how well they do it. They retain the pummeling ::
:: Finnish death metal sound while also incorporating small, ::
:: simple, melodic segments that serve to add to the atmosphere ::
:: already established with the vast array of riffs that they ::
:: utilize. The relatively consistent, mid-paced nature of the ::
:: music gives it the freedom to speed things up or slow things ::
:: down when necessary to convey a given emotion, while also being ::
:: at the perfect speed for hearing every detail in each riff. ::
:: ::
:: Just listen to the next song, æDead SoulÆ, and hear how ::
:: different it is from its predecessor. The riffs change much ::
:: more quickly than before (also, that riff at 0:28 is ::
:: badassàjust felt like putting that out there), but also appear ::
:: in the song multiple times, each with different percussion ::
:: behind them. This variation emphasizes both the riffs ::
:: themselves as well as the percussion, which, although ::
:: relatively unobtrusive, also contributes greatly to the ::
:: atmosphere. Then, towards the end, we get a harmonized guitar ::
:: rhythm which just works perfectly after the build-up and leads ::
:: into a classy, but short, solo to end. ::
:: ::
:: This is a trend that continues throughout the album, whether it ::
:: be with the evil-sounding tremolo picked riff that starts off ::
:: æThe ForlornÆ (as well as the great riff right after), or the ::
:: melodic leanings of æTears Of GodÆ. Slumber Of Sullen Eyes is a ::
:: perfect example of an album full of exquisite subtleties that ::
:: combine to create a unique and mesmerizing musical experience. ::
:: ::
:: But what cannot be ignored is the title track. This song is ::
:: filled to the brim with all of the qualities IÆve already ::
:: mentioned, but at an even higher level of quality. The riffs ::
:: here are just a bit more evil, the atmosphere a bit more bleak, ::
:: the melodic leads a bit more supportive. Everything here just ::
:: clicks in a way that makes you look at the entire album in a ::
:: different way. This song is what defines the sound of the ::
:: album. The counterpoint toward the end of the track is just the ::
:: icing on the death metal cake as far as things go. With the ::
:: solid harsh vocals screaming above them, this creates the ::
:: perfect mental image of what this album represents. And as soon ::
:: as we think that theyÆre done, Demigod present what might be ::
:: one of the best rhythm pieces on the album starting at 5:18, ::
:: with a rather catchy riff played over a great mix of cymbals ::
:: and a more noticeable bass presence. The drums vary up between ::
:: this nice mix of cymbals to traditional double bass drumming. ::
:: Overall, this song encapsulates everything that this album is ::
:: about. ::
:: ::
:: The rest of the songs contain this sort of atmosphere and ::
:: general direction, including the second to last track, ::
:: æPerpetual AscentÆ, an instrumental. With a bit of synthesized ::
:: choir vocals in the back, Demigod display excellent ::
:: musicianship by writing a dark and depressing song comprised ::
:: entirely of slow, heavy riffs and melodic leads instead of ::
:: resorting to bombastic solos. This leads to a fitting end to an ::
:: album full of great songwriting and execution. ::
:: ::
:: What we have here is a display of great songwriting ability ::
:: used to create a sonic landscape filled with a wonderfully dark ::
:: atmosphere. The riffs presented are all excellent both in terms ::
:: of retaining that death metal groove we all know and love and ::
:: in terms of contributing to the overall tone of the album. ::
:: While much more atmospherically oriented than other Finnish ::
:: death metal albums of its time, Slumber Of Sullen Eyes still ::
:: embodies the Finnish death metal sound as well as any. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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