Hideous Divinity – Adveniens (Technical/Brutal Death Metal)

Guess what? There is a third good album that came out April 28th! Hideous Divinity is a band I am sure many of you are familiar with. Being formed in 2007 (in Norway actually) and featuring two ex-Hour of Penance back then they took the brutal technical death metal scene by storm. Since then quite a few lineup changes have happened, one were Mauro Mercurio (ex-Hour of Penance) left forcing Enrico Schettino to rebuild. That didn’t stop him nor the band though as the debut album and sophomore received much praise from the metal community. Adveniens has been on many peoples minds when thinking what album can be a contender for best techdeath album this year.

What strikes me straight away is the punishing drums that keeps on hammering your skull. Enrico hasn’t lost his touch on the guitar either as he has yet another really strong performance. Stefano Franceschini on bass (Aborted) adds a lot of heavyness with his bass play, as expected from a man with his caliber and he already showed it on Cobra Verde, this time he is even better though. There is a lot here that you can hear have the roots from Hour of Penance, which isn’t a bad thing since it’s one of my favorite bands when it comes to techdeath. Ages Die starts off violent with some of the best work Hideous Divinity has done. Hard to top that you would think right? Be sure as hell they do though! Passages starts off slow (one of the few times you get to breath on the album) and it features several different “passages” throughout the song, showcasing a lot of different aspect to their music. The song got a bit of a Nile touch to it that way (I’ve always loved how they change tempos) and it sticks out for me.

All in all this is a great album. Hideous Divinity is definitely one of the best technical death metal bands going, having released three solid albums now. Getting slightly better with each one. Italy might just have Europe’s best techdeath scene right now with Septycal Gorge, Deceptionist (featuring two ex-Hideous Divinity members), Hour of Penance and Hideous Divinity all released top albums these past three years. And they don’t look like they are slowing down either!

Adveniens is out now through Unique Leader Records.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hideousdivinity
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HideousDivinity
For fans of: Hour of Penance and Nile
Favorite song: Passages

Inanimate Existence – Calling from a Dream (Progressive/Technical Death Metal)

Calling from a Dream is Inanimate Existences third full-length since their formation in 2010. Meaning they’ve been quite productive since their debut Liberation Through Hearing came out in 2012. During their six years they’ve had quite a few lineup changes but the core of the drummer Ron Casey and vocalist Cameron Porras have always remained, keeping the quality high even with those changes. Has to be said this is the first album featuring Taylor Wientjes, who has performed with the band live for some time though, can say he passed his trial so congratulations! Oh and in case you didn’t already know Inanimate Existence are under the Unique Leader Records label. Which we all know means high quality death metal incoming.

What hits me first is the female clean singing vocals, which I know has been Inanimate Existence thing but it always hits me as I don’t really expect it. I guess that’s also something that’s been bugging me with Inanimate Existence and made me not fully get on the hype train surrounding the band. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Calling from a Dream is a good album but I guess I don’t like the changes of tempo the way they do it like many other tech death fans. That’s more of a personal liking that I want it to be more brutal, less progressive though and that definitely shouldn’t stop you from grabbing this album. There are some tracks on the album I really do dig and get back to though, like Pulse of the Mountain’s Heart. There the vocals fit into perfect symphony, together with the use of a flute (!) I can imagine it being the mountain in the woods calling.

So to sum it up. Is Calling from a Dream by Inanimate Existence a good album worth recommending? Yes, these Americans are great musicians that have their unique touch of tech death that will leave many in awe. Is the album a personal favorite of mine? No, I sadly can’t get passed how the clean vocals sounds and too much prog for my taste. Who knows though, music taste changes and in a few years I might get back to this album and absolutely love it.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheInanimateExistence
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Inanimatetweets
For fans of: Decrepit Birth and Arkaik
Favorite song: Pulse of the Mountain’s Heart