Yuriy P. - 04/02/2025  An album from the Sick Angel, which cemented the band's reputation as classic death metal. And also became the foundation, standard and masterpiece of the genre.
The suddenly missing rawness in the sound did not spoil the listening experience at all. As the musicians themselves said, the sound would be recorded so that each instrument could be heard separately. That's exactly how it turned out.
The album consists of 13 monumental compositions, 3 of which are instrumental, one intro. I was especially struck by the gift in the form of "Desolate Ways", a slow, lyrical, beautiful thing performed on the guitar, other instrumental compositions are made on the keyboards, which seem to be arranged so that the listener can take a break from the hurricane of sound that is hidden in the rest of the songs.
Overall, the album looks a little heavier than its predecessor and much more thoughtful.
The album can be characterized as follows: the highest technique, non-standard, sometimes abstract riffing, frequent playing in reverse tempo, stunning speed, frequent solos, and relentless lyrics on the theme of the afterlife. Just like the previous album, this one is listened to in one breath, although it is clear that slower things predominate over fast ones, and also with great interest.
The rhythm section is brought to the forefront and has a crystal clear sound. The double bass from the king of double drums sounds computer-like precise and cosmically fast, the handwork is jewelry, or, to put it simply, the drums are magnificent, organic, emotional, they PLAY in principle, this epithet says it all.
The guitars are no less interesting, as already mentioned, the riffs are extraordinary, but memorable from the first time. Solos are frequent and beautiful.
The vocals became more brutal, but at the same time this did not affect the quality of pronunciation, deeper and more soulful. The result is a masterpiece album, it is thought out and brought to the point of the highest performance, pleasant to listen to. In general, the album looks like a piece of steel, polished to perfection and this polishing gives shine, the shine of a diamond, which did not fade at that time, in the present and will never fade in the future.
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