Macabre Demise - Grave(y)art Gallery

Macabre Demise is one of the more prolific projects from multi-talented instrumentalist/ vocalist Andreas Rieger of Germany who is known for the likes of many Death Metal based projects like Bloodshot Eyes or Flesh Eater. While not the earliest project, Macabre Demise has been running since 2007 and “Grave(y)art Gallery” is the fourth full length album under his belt. While the other projects have many singles and EPs, this particular Brutal Death Metal outfit seems to garner the most attention and also have the most well rounded sound. Some of the other work from Rieger is Grindcore based and extremely rough and noisy, but Macabre Demise is just a loud, rowdy approach with a still crisp sound that falls somewhere between Cannibal Corpse and Sanguisugabogg. Those who know this guy’s work should know what to expect, but for new listeners this is going to be a pretty heavy listen.

“Grave(y)art…” opens in typical fashion- misleading listeners with an intro (this time it sounds like a symphonic and grandiose Cradle of Filth gesture) with nods to Carach Angren before exploding with the title track. Right of the bat one will notice the drums- this time helmed by a guest spot from Flo Musil- have that thick, loud ‘rat-tat-tat’ touch to them, a nice change compared to the usual thunderous blast beat drums that populate so many other Death Metal bands out there like Deicide. Andreas churning guitar work and bellowed/ gurgled vocals are still somewhat discernable but come across as ferocious, almost touching on Slam territory. They aren’t quite as ugly as Abominable Putridity, but fall between Immolation and Morbid Angel. Fans will be impressed for sure. While they do sound a bit one sided, there are guests here and there from more underground/ unknown bands to help round out the sound. For those who like groove and stomp to their Death Metal, the track ‘The Nerve’ has plenty of swagger to it in a near Six Feet Under kind of way. For the heavier, just straightforward head banger ‘Tired Souls’ is chock full of riffs more in the vein of Cannibal Corpse with groove here and there. Macabre Demise never really feels like it takes off at obliterating pace, it just grinds along at mid to slow so listeners can enjoy.

The guitars are mostly thick, chunky spurts of riffs without too much melodic moments, but Rieger does show off some melody in his guitar solos. ‘World in Blood’ features a whirlwind of drum and guitars that almost border more of Mikael A. era Bloodbath, so the pace is a little more frantic and suits the nastiness of the sound before things slow down a bit for more of a chugging style that is more like Cannibal Corpse. The drums though never fail in their approach, which is good and bad. Both members of this band are consistent, but not quite as varied as some might want for most of the album. They tend to stick to the same formula all the way through, but thankfully it works in their favor as each track is just a ferocious ride. For those who want a random thrown bone though the closing instrumental forsakes the symphonic route (which does pop up briefly in the title track and makes the band sound like they are going almost a Symphonic Deathcore route) and instead opts for a dancey, Project Hate sort of moment. It is random and feels more Crystal Method than anything else, but it is a bit of a humorous nod towards what Macabre Demise could do if they blended Death Metal and Dance/ Techno together much in the way Extermination Dismemberment gave fans ‘Coprsepit.’ Still, despite oddities here and there listeners will not be disappointed by “Grave(y)art Gallery.” A bit of a new school crusher that rolls bones and ears in its wake.

4 / 5 STARS