Serocs - …And When The Sky Was Opened
Serocs return with their 3rd full-length release entitled “…And When The Sky Was Opened”. I must say that this is a vast improvement over their last album. When I reviewed the last album, I made the analogy that it was the musical version of trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Well, it seems to me that everything wrong with the last album has been fixed and the result is an awesome presentation of what the band is capable of. The musical flow and continuity is 100 times better than on the previous album and the vocals have undergone a great improvement as well. These guys really mean business with this new album. The notions of a serious undertaking to create an album like this are invoked from beginning to end.
While being labeled as a brutal technical death metal band, this album has the feel and riffage of mid to late 90’s traditional death metal sound. Gritty and chugging in parts with just a hint of technical ability added for that extra shredding brutality. It is reminiscent of combining bands such as Immolation, Incantation, Lividity, and some “Eternal” era Malevolent Creation. The solo work is well placed although some of it sounds a bit under-produced, but it is still quite enjoyable. The guitar sound seems so much more thought out and better delivered on this offering. If you take that last album and compare it to this one, you will definitely see a difference in the material and the delivery of the material. Now, the drums are probably the most technically played instrument on this album. The ever-changing patterns are mind-blowingly chaotic but not to an insane degree. I will admit that, at first, the drums seem to have no direction at all, but combined with the bass, guitars and vocals, it all comes together to a “central” point and seemingly reaches out and grabs you by the soul, and before you know it you are banging your head to this monstrous death metal masterpiece. The rumbles of bass can be felt in just the right places, which adds to the overall ambiance of the album and shows that the prowess of the band has grown immensely since the last album. What I really liked about this album is the vocals. For the most part they are clear and understandable (at least if you’re following along with the lyrics in the booklet), and seemingly unique though this style has been heard a million times over. Absolutely every part of this album meets the objective that it was designed to do and that is rip your eardrums to shreds and melt your face off!
I take my hat off to the members of Serocs for taking their music seriously enough to take the time to think and plan so that the end result will be the best and most devastating one of all. There is no doubt in my mind that they have done that and so much more with the 8 songs on this CD. If you are a fan of any of the lands listed above, or are a fan of death metal in general, then you really need to get this album. I am going to go so far as to recommend that you pick up their last album which is called “The Next” and listen to both so you can see how much better they have gotten in the some 2 and ½ years since that album came out. “…And When The Sky Was Opened” was released on Comatose Records so contact them and get this amazing slab of metal! Excellent job guys!
While being labeled as a brutal technical death metal band, this album has the feel and riffage of mid to late 90’s traditional death metal sound. Gritty and chugging in parts with just a hint of technical ability added for that extra shredding brutality. It is reminiscent of combining bands such as Immolation, Incantation, Lividity, and some “Eternal” era Malevolent Creation. The solo work is well placed although some of it sounds a bit under-produced, but it is still quite enjoyable. The guitar sound seems so much more thought out and better delivered on this offering. If you take that last album and compare it to this one, you will definitely see a difference in the material and the delivery of the material. Now, the drums are probably the most technically played instrument on this album. The ever-changing patterns are mind-blowingly chaotic but not to an insane degree. I will admit that, at first, the drums seem to have no direction at all, but combined with the bass, guitars and vocals, it all comes together to a “central” point and seemingly reaches out and grabs you by the soul, and before you know it you are banging your head to this monstrous death metal masterpiece. The rumbles of bass can be felt in just the right places, which adds to the overall ambiance of the album and shows that the prowess of the band has grown immensely since the last album. What I really liked about this album is the vocals. For the most part they are clear and understandable (at least if you’re following along with the lyrics in the booklet), and seemingly unique though this style has been heard a million times over. Absolutely every part of this album meets the objective that it was designed to do and that is rip your eardrums to shreds and melt your face off!
I take my hat off to the members of Serocs for taking their music seriously enough to take the time to think and plan so that the end result will be the best and most devastating one of all. There is no doubt in my mind that they have done that and so much more with the 8 songs on this CD. If you are a fan of any of the lands listed above, or are a fan of death metal in general, then you really need to get this album. I am going to go so far as to recommend that you pick up their last album which is called “The Next” and listen to both so you can see how much better they have gotten in the some 2 and ½ years since that album came out. “…And When The Sky Was Opened” was released on Comatose Records so contact them and get this amazing slab of metal! Excellent job guys!
- And So It Begins
- Solitude
- Itami
- When The Ground Swallows Us...
- (...)
- ...And When The Sky Was Opened
- Them
- For Nothing
Label: www.comatosemusic.com
Reviewer: twansibon
Nov 14, 2015
Nov 14, 2015
Next review:
Acid Death - Hall Of Mirrors
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