Apparently Act of Gods' debut demo struck Osmose Productions' fellas so strong, that they decided to reissue it as an EP titled 'Dies Irae' a year later, in 2004. Well, I thank the label for doing it, and the band for this blasting and brutal experience.

This French band was formed by ex-members of Mutilated and Abyssals (neither of which have I heard, sadly). The last thing heard from them was in 2006 when they released their sophomore album. No information can be found on the band's old website, and they aren't listed on the label's website anymore. Anyway, hearing this demo/EP I ordered all their stuff and am waiting for the albums' arrival like dog waits for a bone...

First two songs are in vein of US death metal. Act of Gods' delivery is somewhere close to mixing Malevolent Creation and Cannibal Corpse. Loads of tempo changes, from thrashing beats to blast beat burst. Loads of ass-kicking double bass drumming and snappy, tight snare sound are on menu. Suits me, sir. Sawing riffage, sometimes low-tuned, as well as fast tremolo picking, is brutal and raw, accompanied by loud bass guitar. At times the band hop into grindcore-ish parts, which is welcomed for some variety, as well as Trey Azagthoth style guitar soloing from other dimension. Ugly vocals vary from various low, raspy bear growls to more high-pitched demonic regurgitations, plus a few spoken lines. It's attacking and pummeling death metal, nothing more, but the amount of parts enliven it up. 'Outro' is more like a piece of a song, which simply fades out in the end.

This doesn't sound just raw, but also professionally recorded. 'Dies Irae' is a short yet very much neck-snapping piece of French brutality, if you're looking for some.

Rating: 7 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
06/17/2019 19:24