Depopulate come from Katowice, Poland, and play, to nobody's surprise I presume, death metal. However, this time around the band's musical influences actually aren't Polish, but mainly North American. The name of the game with Depopulate is brutal death metal.

The band's history is almost totally unknown to me, expect that they formed in 2010 and were known as Eviscerated before that. It can be heard, that the guys of this quartet aren't really newcomers to the world of bands. This EP is the debut release for Depopulate, though. All 16 minutes of it, and the opener is a 50 seconds long intro with sounds of suffering and machinery... So, it's five songs in 15 minutes, then. So how do they succeed with it?

The music they make is certainly brutal. It is also technically solid. There are sharp riffs, nasty guitar squeals and rusty guitar tone on heavier parts, which cuts through flesh with ease. But it is scarce on memorable riffs and bits. There are some of those, but the music is simply too forgettable. The pace is mainly blasting, or at least fast. There are a lot of tempo changes and math-beats (e.g. 'Wastesoaked'), not forgetting some slamming stuff, it is quite a bumpy ride. I like how extensively the drummer uses his kit, and especially hi-hat and cymbals. The vocals are beastly low growling, without much variety, expect occasional scream. It's on the both sides of comprehensible.

The production job is of demo-level quality, no matter how much the band want this release to be an EP. First, it's mixed too loud, so the sound is somewhat distorted. The soundscape is far from balanced. The best example about this is that the kick drums, which are about everywhere (well, not quite, but...), drown the sound of bass guitar. It is there, as I happened heard it occasionally! Well, the drums are too high on the mix. There are more than one vocal track in the mix almost all the time. The production feels cold, soulless. It really does not work here.

Still, the brutality and wickedness can grab a listener. Yes, it provokes man's inner beast. I like to listen to this because of the drumming, but the riffs are usually either forgettable or familiar, as are the vocals. If the band manage to bring in some memorable and unbroken songs, it would be grand. While some primitive instincts are awaken inside, this still leaves me rather cold.

Rating: 6- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
01/22/2013 21:14