Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Unsigned
Date of Release: June 6, 2013
SOARING MELODIC DEATH
In the realm of melodic death metal, Austrian quintet Disfigured
Divinity is a band that proves to hold great potential. Two years after forming
in 2011, they released their debut full-length album entitled “Zapotectron.”
Even for a first try, this record possesses a good surplus of things for the metal
crowd to enjoy.
One of the greater highlights of “Zapotectron” is the
musicianship. To begin, the aggressive vocals brandish a high range between
deep growls, mid-pitch roars, and throaty highs. On the other side, the clean
singing, while at times somewhat forced and cheesy, particularly in the chorus
for the first track “Aeons of Reincarnation,” it is done rather strongly as
well. It sounds deep, but the way it is mixed gives it an atmospheric tone,
thus becoming more appealing to the ears. The guitars also hold up nicely,
boasting a plentiful of potent riffs and melodies throughout the album, and the
fast-paced drums do a great job of serving as a solid yet technical framework
for the music.
On top of all this, the production and mixing are also
performed very well. There is plenty of resonance put into the instruments by
these elements for the audience to become attached to. In fact, the atmosphere
from the mixing even gives the music a further sense of explosiveness along
with the songwriting, giving the melodies a more epic feel to them in the
process. Along with the potent musicianship, the production also functions well
in this album.
In “Zapotectron,” Disfigured Divinity delivers eleven tracks
packed with energy-filled melodic death metal. As stated earlier, the songs are
very explosive, due to the album’s sense of dynamic and the stellar
musicianship. Though it mostly contains sonic melodic metal, there is a small
handful of somewhat quieter moments to make the louder parts much more
effective. The melodic death formula behind these songs ultimately works because
of its speed and energy, making the record quite an energetic listen. While the
album doesn’t offer much in terms of inventiveness towards its genre, there are
enough factors to make it enjoyable nonetheless.
“Zapotectron” has been revealed to be a strong start for
this relatively new group. In all regards, the band fares well, from the
musicianship to the sound production to the songs themselves. The
instrumentation is well showcased, and on top of that, the mixing makes it
sound all the more pleasurable. In addition, the songs are written quite
strongly as well, with dynamic structure and engaging velocity. Again, although
the music overall isn’t very innovative, it is performed greatly, and any fan
associated with melodic metal should try it out. Disfigured Divinity has taken
off on a solid first step forward.
Score: 8/10 (Great)
