The Brutal Deceiver

Go Die. One By One

Written by: PP on 14/10/2013 23:32:25

The difference between meaningless noise and pure genius is often measured in whatever the sonic equivalent for millimetres is. On one hand artists like The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Chariot are credited for revolutionizing what it means to be heavy and chaotic; the former for their mathematically precise, calculated insanity that has led them to lecture music theory at respected institutions worldwide, and the latter for their ability to transform feedback and dissonance into an art form, especially in a live environment. Then you have bands like The Brutal Deceiver from France, who have misunderstood the purpose and meaning behind all of the above, interpreting it in their slogan "headbang until your neck breaks" on their Facebook page.

The result? A one-dimensional deathcore record that has little to offer its listened outside of sheer brutality, endless breakdowns, monotonously growled vocals, and terrible slowed down slam sections that will surely set off the windmillers and floor stompers at live venues across the continent. No matter how many times one listens to "Go Die. One By One" over a prolonged period of time it is next to impossible to find reference points of passages that stick to mind from the album, which is the direct result of the uncompromising desire to pound away with sledgehammers for the entirety of the 36 minutes that the record lasts. On a few occasions they seem to be just within reach of grasping what TDEP have always been able to do on their craziest material, such as on "Loneliness" where you can hear the inspiration for sure, but the execution is lacking and the band isn't able to string together anything truly meaningful. At the same time, the material isn't terrible, per se, just very anonymous, bland and difficult to remember beyond a few minutes of the listening session.

But with song titles like "Dismember Me", "Go Die" and "I Am (My Own) Apocalypse", it becomes painfully clear that The Brutal Deceiver have fallen into the easiest of holes to avoid: their soundscape is brutalized just for the sake of sounding extreme, brutal, and noisy. Very few songwriting decisions can be justified to be actually advancing the songs forward rather than keeping them purposefully brutalized all the way through. Yes, ambiance plays its part on a few occasions, but not enough to make a difference. This is a standard fare deathcore album that drowns in a gray mass of similar-sounding bands with no chance of sticking out.

5

Download: Go Die, Loneliness, Disclosed Deception, Dismember Me
For the fans of: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ion Dissonance
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.04.2013
Useless Pride Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.