'Homicidal Decimation' is the full length debut from Oz's death metal brutes Excarnated. With this beast of an album, Excarnated became my favourite Australian's band, hands down. See, Excarnated have character, and that is too rare in death metal circles nowadays.

Are you a "death metal + melody = NO" -person? If your answer is yes, then buy this album immediately. 'Homicidal Decimation' is devoid of any guitar melodies, there's just riffs. I've hardly ever heard a death metal album, on which every song is as catchy as cenobites' hooks without any swell melodies. Vocals patterns are well constructed and this adds overall catchiness. Same goes with drums and bass, which add loads of characteristics to the songs, not just rhythms. Anyways, the riffs, they vary from simple head severing ones to gut twisting torturings. Meaning it can be ultra heavy mayhem or guitar squealing antics. A few solos here and there going through fret board don't mean much, but do not feel out of place either. Bass work is heavy-as-fuck earthshattering pulse, usually heavily distorted. Drums are programmed and it's clear immediately. They sound way too digital and jump from heaviness like smell from a room full of rotting corpses. The programming is well done, and varying beats are full of small details, making it feel more thought out than usually. After many a listen, drums began to sound better, like becoming another characteristic of the album.Tempos change frequently, and there's stuff between doomy crawling abominations and blast beat blitzkrieg. Closest band I can think of is US horror deathsters Mortician, but Excarnated are able to do it their own way.

Vocals are diverse enough. There's very low growls, more screamy ones and some spoken, which is the only human-like style utilized. I couldn't make up all the lyrics, so it's good they are printed (and probably banned in Germany). More or less picturesque lyrics about Cenobites (from Clive Barker's Hellraiser), killers and other bloodshed. This was released by the band themselves and looks better than many an independently released metal album.

This is a very good album of brutal death metal, without swell melodies. If you do not need any ear candy, but brutality is welcome, pick up 'Homicidal Decimation' ASAP. It's worth the hunting you might need to do.

Rating: 7+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
07/27/2005 21:03