With the huge influx of Scandinavian bands on the scene today, it is both a pleasure and a chore to wade through the scads of music and try to decipher the leaders from the followers, the innovators from the imitators, and the shyte from the rose garden. Fortunately, (or maybe unfortunately) you need manure to put on the earth to make the roses blossom, and there has to be a means to an end. Here we find some kind of strange middle ground. You see, the flowers of the world get eaten, and what becomes of them? Shit. Thank whatever god you like; it is the shit that makes the world go round. Confused? Stay with me. That brings us to today’s lesson, AMORAL. From the land of all things cold and pale comes an old story told with new enthusiasm and new players, creating something familiar, and something new. Their second full-length, following up the whirlwind recording and mixing (2 weeks!) of “Wound Creations”, AMORAL took their time and made large strides with “Decrowning”.

The record stands out for many reasons. First, the guitar sound jumps off of the speakers and to your ears with authority. Riffs pummel and cascade like those of 10 year scene veterans. Crisp, but not overpolished, these Fins know what death metal should sound like. Taking a progressive route, the guitars flow and ebb to give a clear, yet deep sound. There is plenty of lead guitar to keep you interested, without losing that foot-tapping catchiness. Percussively, that popular kick-style is used here as an accent, not as a focal point. The songs on this record layer themselves; they are not cheap or muddy death metal affairs. Ranges of influence are some of the usual suspects of melodic \ technical death metal ilk like SOILWORK, HYPOCRISY, and IN FLAMES; but other influences froth up from song to song. “Bleeder” gives a nod to some classic TESTAMENT-style harmonies. THe guitar work in “Lacrimal Gland” and especially “Drug of Choice” would give Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR) chills of joy. Much of the songwriting structure here reminds me of early ANNIHILATOR, and even MEGADETH.

Vocally, a typical (although capable) raspy death assault ensues. Vocals however, take a backing role to the music, The production puts them too far back in the mix. Lyrically, I wish I had a better idea, but I got no clue. He could be singing tomorrow’s special at the Waffle House for all I know. Two curious notes: intro to “Raptus” is a sample from the movie “Wedding Crashers” talking about getting laid in large quantities, like “Boy band ass” Where the fuck did that come from on a death metal record? I have a sense of humor, and that was a kick-ass funny movie, but whaaaaa? I also heard that AMORAL recorded a cover of MOTLEY CRÜE’s “Wild Side” (not on the US release). Again, whaaaaaaaa? It’s a good thing that this is a great record, or I would be worried.

Originality 7. Effort 9. Overall a great sophomore effort from the trenches. The squeaky-tight twin guitar leads are worth the price of admission alone. Fans of MNEMIC, CHILDREN OF BODOM, and even NEVERMORE take note, the field is getting crowded, better turn it up a notch and prepare for competition.

- Murtaugh

OFFICIAL SITE: http://amoralweb.com/

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Showdown

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