I was sure I would hear some H. P. Lovecraft worship here by this Swedish death metal band, because the cover of 'Inundate' shows a shadowy figure underwater, plus there are song titles such as 'Dream Vessel' and 'Incantation of the Lost Continent'. Well, I was wrong, because mostly the lyrics are about war. Well, that too suits for death metal, anyways.

Sectu play technical yet brutal death metal, which has a melodious tint to it. However, it is not about "gay" melodiousness here, but more like well catchy riffage and lead guitar work. The band must be highly influenced by Morbid Angel, Nile, Immolation and Mithras. The vibes vary from attacking to obscure, and to majestic. Another highlight together with the catchiness is the drummer's performance, which is, in a word, interesting. There are a lot of twists, tempo changes, and his ability to play in more than one rhythm at time is just candy for any pair of ears. Suffocation and the likes are another good example of Sectu's style. The rhythm guitars are low-tuned, and sound roaring and monstrous at times, but the lead guitar work is bright as the brightest stars in the night sky. The guitarists aren't newcomers to their instruments, for sure, and handle their instruments adorably. Fast riffing sounds utterly brutal and hacking, slower riffs either hammering or ripping. There are riffs and lead guitar work, that go up and down the fretboard a lot. This makes music either very heavy, or having more breathing soundscape. The bass guitar is in more shadowy part, but does provide backbone. It just does not stand out like other instruments do.

Generally, the music is partly very, very familiar, and this lowers the interest towards Sectu. That's a shame, because I feel that they could have much more to give. The best moments happen during the first half of the album, but then it gets a bit unvaried. Moments, where the band introduce something new, are the best bits of the second half of the album, e.g. prog-ish open-string guitar playing on 'Procession Through Flesh'. There is no much complaining about the actual song writing, except for the quite well done instrumental in Morbid Angel style, 'Ceremonial March', which simply feels out of place on the album. The worst aspect on the album are the vocals; they are unvarying low growling, even though well done and comprehensible, and as suitable, inhuman. The lyrics get at least one thumb up, because of their peculiarity and general difference. Sound-wise this is good. Generally, it is powerful yet the instruments stand out cleanly, but still, the guitars are a tad too low in the mix.

Sectu's debut 'Inundate' is an able work in death metal genre, but still it feels like it sounds too close to the band's influences. Awesome performances (minus the flat vocal delivery), but the band are missing their character. Still, a worthy one to check out, if you want it brutal and technical yet catchy.

Rating: 7½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
07/06/2011 23:34