Dr. Acula

Slander

Written by: PP on 03/03/2011 06:38:50

To me, Dr. Acula is a very typical Victory Records band anno 2011. Everything from their ridiculous name (Dracula, I get it, very funny) and stupid song titles like "Currently Sexting" or "Fire Crotch" to their breakdown obsessed genericore is very clearly and shamelessly directed at the (male) teenage audience in between the ages of 15 and 19, who'll find stuff like a desperately crying little girl whining about her boyfriend putting nude photos of her to the internet as an interlude funny. That's not to take anything away from this audience, I get it, I was once a teenager too and before the real world started creeping up such innocent and, admittedly, stupid humour was enough to entertain me for hours.

The problem is, I've grown up since then (debatable I suppose), and learned so much about different kinds of music that the wealth of chug...chu-ga-chu-ga-chug chugchugchug wizardry isn't enough to impress me. "Slander" is a karate mosher's wet dream, spastically circling all corners of the room during the songs in fairly curious electro-deathcore formula, only to be interrupted by convoluted breakdowns designed to allow maximum damage perpetration in the pits. Granted, the first few songs display decent songwriting ability in the form of some interesting structures and extremely scenecore tendencies, what with the deep growl / high pitch shriek dynamic and a good amount of brutality, but what starts so well quickly ends in a chugfest of same-sounding songs and breakdown obsessed songs that really go nowhere.

On a positive note, Dr. Acula at least have some attempt at experimenting outside of the textbook deathcore formula. They don't sound nearly as mechanical or inorganic, which is definitely a good thing, plus some may find their juvenile humour mildly amusing. Movie samples are also used extensively throughout, and while these normally are a distraction, in Dr. Acula's case they bring in some character and atmosphere in a genre renowned for its cold, anonymous brutality - a part of the reason the band is often associated with the term "party grind". It won't help them win me over altogether, though, because the focus on jaw breaking beatdowns is far too strong for my liking, but it'd be incorrect to call "Slander" an absolute mess of an album.

Download: Fire Crotch (The Venereal Van Ride), Currently Sexting, Cocaine Avalanche
For the fans of: Arsonists Get All The Girls, Emmure, Attila, Chelsea Grin
Listen: Myspace

Release date 15.02.2011
Victory Records

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