Empatic - Ruined Landscape

Polish deathsters Empatic have been around since 2005 when the duo of Maciek Rochaczewskion vocals and bass player Włodzimierz Małaszek created this dense death metal project and have one full length to their name from 2010 called "Gods Of Thousand Souls". Since then the line up has remained pretty static with a couple of members leaving but then returning to the fold. The bands second album is a solid affair beginning with a short but serene piano piece before a hefty Obituary styled double bass announces itself unceremoniously. Now with that analogy made you'd be quick to think the band was just another bunch of wannabes aiming for that old Floridian death metal sound but you'd be wrong as the band does not fall into mediocrity quicksand that easily as they add some rather nimble touches on guitar that would sit relatively comfortably on an old Katatonia release, being harmonious and very pleasant to the ear on opener "Trauma".

As with many new albums these days it is exceptionally difficult to be fresh yet relevant and not resort to groove metal thuggery just to please a wider audience, though groove is centrally placed in the bands song writing. Vocally this has the tones of deep sonorous disembowelment like Mr Benton but added to it are some core like barks and growls that you'll either like or despise. "Crimen Pessimum" definitely has that thrashy groove that modern day Exodus prefer to play these days but this band adds punctuated blast sections for power and it works. The title track is a total Kataklysm styled riff, bouncy and tuneful and followed obviously by a kick drum assault. Pinning this band down to any one particular style within death metal is difficult and for that the band has to be commended as far too often bands sound like someone else, making their music stale and bereft of ideas, but Empatic has ideas aplenty whether it's the harmonious Arch Enemy styled guitar work in "Ambush" or some Hypocrisy like dirge death on "Obsession".

Whilst this growling beast of an album has the tenets of many other acts I could care to mention it is plain to the ear that these are purely influences and not mere copycat tactics as the release is stuffed full of rampant riffs and ear juddering death metal thunder that is certainly worth your while checking out.


  1. Trauma
  2. Crimen Pessimum
  3. Ruined Landscape
  4. Oblivion Path
  5. Ambush
  6. Valley Of Shadows
  7. Obsession
  8. Fight
  9. Countenance Of Fear
  10. Struggle (Empatic II)

 


Reviewer: twansibon
Jul 25, 2014

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