As one of the bands that originated the Melodic Death Metal genre, I was interested in hearing some Dismember even though my love for the genre has waned somewhat over the years.
Death Metal certainly doesn’t pull any punches, it contains exactly what’s on the box. Rapid fire riffs, growled vocals (well, closer to thrashy, shouted) and a very good display of musicianship and adherence to the genre.
Highlights include the very triumphant opening track, the born-and-bred-in-Gothenburg Misanthropic and the decidedly down-tempo Stillborn Ways which has a very Hypocrisy feel to it. Each track is solid and well structured; there is groove aplenty and die-hard fans of melodic death will not go away unpleased.
The low production quality on the album is very noticeable. Everything sounds quite fuzzy, and compared to the albums that similar bands were putting out at roughly the same time (i.e. In Flames’ Whoracle) it is frankly quite shoddy. For a genre that breeds tonechasers like no other, it is quite frustrating to be faced with such poor recording quality. The other major issue I have with the album is that it is nothing new. By the release of this album, Dismember was on their fourth release, and it does not feel like it takes the genre any further. I do not have enough knowledge of their previous albums to determine whether it was a progression for the band, but it is frustrating when everyone is producing exactly the same music.
Ultimately Death Metal, despite delivering exactly what it says on the cover did not impress me much. But that is most probably because I have become distanced from the melodic death metal genre; if you’re a die-hard fan, pick this one up!
