Azarath – Praise the Beast
A band is only as good as it’s drummer right? With Behemoth’s incredible skins man, Inferno, poised at the kit for Azarath, you know right away that this material is going to be over the top technical and perfect in every way when it comes to the rhythm section. To my surprise, Azarath do have the tendency to showboat a bit in the mathematical riff department, but a vast majority of this album is very well written and memorable. A lot of feeling and emotion in the riffs as well…. Something that really is lacking in modern day “turbo” death metal. The guitar work and accompanying harmonies are as evil sounding as the pro Satan subject matter. In fact this band possesses a hint of the old death metal spirit, the only difference being the pristine blast work and innovative fills effortlessly unleashed by Inferno. Such amazing speed was something never considered on the older classics because… well… they hadn’t mastered the technique yet. The guttural, though discernable vocal style of bassist Bruno fits this material perfectly as the band sculpts their way through 11 tracks of lethal material, full of crushing guitar work and potent tempo changes. Intricate guitar work doesn’t have to mean, “lifeless” and Azarath gets this point, and have created a very powerful and moving strike of death metal around one of the best drummers in the business. This material sits with me so much better than anything Behemoth has put out in quite a few years. Check it out if the overly technical and largely tuneless attack of the modern era has left you feeling cold. –Marty
Deathgasm Records
Worm Gear 