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DEATHGRAVE "Hell Is Evil"
DEATHGRAVE "Hell Is Evil"
By Dr. Abner Mality
Hell is evil but it also ain't a bad place to be and it awaits! California's DEATHGRAVE, featuring members from AUTOPSY, AMBER ASYLUM and OWL, are here to give us a tour of the Infernal Realms...
They are described as grindcore and sure, that shows up here, but there's a bit more going on. A lot of this is firmly in the footsteps of AUTOPSY. Honestly, the title track and "Hard To Swallow", the first two numbers, sound absolutely like out-takes from any AUTOPSY album. That's cool, but I'm hoping there's more to DEATHGRAVE than that. And thankfully, there is! "I Am Here" brings tasty groove along with filthy crust while "Born From Death" mixes punk and death in punishing fashion.
"Smaller and Smaller" is the most "progressive" track and the most interesting. "Hell Is Evil" is a pretty clipped and brief album, filled with sharp, short tracks, but on this song, the band stretches itself a bit and sounds good along the way. One of the things noticeable about the album is that the guitar doesn't have the same monolithic tuning on every song...the solos all have a different sound to them. DEATHGRAVE also has a three pronged vocal attack to keep things interesting...guttural death growls, some hellacious high shrieks that I suspect are courtesy of bassist Fern Alberts, and a hardcore shout more suited to a punk band.
But it's all about the brutality and you get that in spades with the grindcore blast "Your Pain Is Ready" and the massive death metal of "Yaws 3D". Simple on the surface but boasting hidden depths for those willing to listen, this is a solid album for fans of AUTOPSY and grindcore.
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