Locusta - Locusta
Locusta are a U.S. based band with a sound similar to Incantation and Immolation. They have that raw, brutal sound, especially when it comes to the growling vocals, but also at the same time fuse a lot of groove and melody into their music so it just doesn't feel like a freight train is hitting the earhole over and over again. Some moments on their debut album are indeed brutal, such as "Betrayed By The Sea" and others are softer, going more for 'haunting' than 'hurting' with "2012." The good new is that the production is really clean and makes all the instruments able to be heard clear as day, so fans don't miss a beat when it comes to the guitars and drums. This kind of clean production is especially important when it come to the more quiet moments such as the interlude on "Mutiny" right before it explodes with some melodic guitar work.
What fans will mostly get out of Locusta's self titled debut is a sense of how melody and brutality can meet under the best circumstances. There are some death metal bands that go by the grindcore standards: just relenetless noise and sheer speed and beatings that are great for adrenaline rushes, but do not really do anything else for the listener when it comes to really appreciating the music. For Locusta, they can settle accounts on both parties. A track like "Death Or Devotion" features that sheer chugging rhythm in the beginning for those who want the adrenaline rush, but when the solo and interlude section comes in, there's a bit more structure and melody involved. It does get repetitive at times hearing the same three riffs over and over for about thirty seconds, but at the same time it continues the flow of the adrenaline rush but heightening the anticipation of the music. This is much more exciting and fulfilling than just hearing a full, blasting song that becomes a rush at first, but over time starts sounding the same so the effect is lost.
Of course, not all of Locusta's music is death metal based. There's a slow, almost doom metal paced track called "Dusk At The Mausoleum" which features churning guitars and light cymbal work. It is tracks like these that are really haunting and twisted with a sense of eerie bliss that sets a new direction or standard for the group as more than just groove laden death metal. Whether or not this track styling will be used more often on future work is questionalble, but overall Locusta have given fans a very solid debut album that will be spun more than once. It's not anything to be called groundebreaking, but at the same time it isn't something to hear once and then disregard as a decent piece of music. This is meant for fans who like their death metal with a bit of variation and not the usual typical blastbeats and thundering power.
What fans will mostly get out of Locusta's self titled debut is a sense of how melody and brutality can meet under the best circumstances. There are some death metal bands that go by the grindcore standards: just relenetless noise and sheer speed and beatings that are great for adrenaline rushes, but do not really do anything else for the listener when it comes to really appreciating the music. For Locusta, they can settle accounts on both parties. A track like "Death Or Devotion" features that sheer chugging rhythm in the beginning for those who want the adrenaline rush, but when the solo and interlude section comes in, there's a bit more structure and melody involved. It does get repetitive at times hearing the same three riffs over and over for about thirty seconds, but at the same time it continues the flow of the adrenaline rush but heightening the anticipation of the music. This is much more exciting and fulfilling than just hearing a full, blasting song that becomes a rush at first, but over time starts sounding the same so the effect is lost.
Of course, not all of Locusta's music is death metal based. There's a slow, almost doom metal paced track called "Dusk At The Mausoleum" which features churning guitars and light cymbal work. It is tracks like these that are really haunting and twisted with a sense of eerie bliss that sets a new direction or standard for the group as more than just groove laden death metal. Whether or not this track styling will be used more often on future work is questionalble, but overall Locusta have given fans a very solid debut album that will be spun more than once. It's not anything to be called groundebreaking, but at the same time it isn't something to hear once and then disregard as a decent piece of music. This is meant for fans who like their death metal with a bit of variation and not the usual typical blastbeats and thundering power.
- War Of Knaves
- Masters Ethereal
- Mutiny
- Death Or Devotion
- 2012
- Betrayed By The Sea
- Dusk At The Mausoleum
- Into The Tomb
- Vlad Tepes
- Locusta
