CONDEMNED

If you like your death metal loud and heavy as sin, with a filthy little side helping of grind, then you will no doubt love Irish 4 piece Condemned’s first full length release 'A Dying Art'. Straight to the point metal, with Cannibal Corpse-esque vocals, what’s not to like. Attempting a sinister opening with some horrifying samples of screams and hacking, ‘The Dark Place’ comes rumbling in with its sharp riffing and guttural vocals to shake you down. ‘Everybody Died Last Night’ is a groove laden monster of a song, it has you nodding your head along to the beats almost instantly. You can really hear the death metal influences of Deicide and Cephalic Carnage coming through on this track and it works rather well. The guitar work in the track is superb, winding and escalating with a few pinch harmonics thrown in haphazardly with great effect, really setting the band apart from the typical bland death metal acts. ‘My Blood Runs Black’ opens with some well paced drum work drawing you in and it sets your feet tapping along, before those layers of guttural vocals hit you over and over, vocal execution in this album is pretty much excellent. ‘Here Comes My Eyes’ and title track ‘A Dying Art’ keep the pace racing along, with the ripping riffs and consistently pounding drum fills. ‘Almost Cannibal’ has a thundering bass line which grinds along and through your brain, it is one of those brain destroyingly catchy songs. The pace slows to allow you a moment to breathe before those disgustingly heavy vocals come back in to rip you apart. ‘Every Last Cruelty’ and ‘The Body In The Box’ both keep up the intensity and pace set by the previous tracks, ‘Death Followed…’ absolutely hammers along, this band know how to do heavy and they do it fantastically. The killer blow is delivered in the form of ‘Leave Me Alone’ with a great intro of slowly chugging guitar riffs before it all gets fast and heavy again. Really the only flaw I can pick with this album has got to be the snare drum sound - it is far too tinny and really threatens to become a distraction when blast beats are such an integral element to the band’s music. Other than that, a very successful first offering from the Condemned boys and if you like your metal tinged with songs concerning death, decapitation and blood with some experimental and intense guitar work, they are definitely a band for you.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Rundown Records

Album

A DYING ART

Review by Siobhan Hogarty

RUNNING TIME:

33:28

RELEASE DATE:

24th Sept 2010

TRACK LISTING

1) The Dark Place
2) Everybody Died Last Night
3) My Blood Runs Black
4) Here Come My Eyes
5) A Dying Art
6) Almost Cannibal
7) Every Last Cruelty
8) The Body in the Box
9) Death Followed...
10) Leave Me Alone

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"...a very successful first offering from the Condemned boys and if you like your metal tinged with songs concerning death, decapitation and blood with some experimental and intense guitar work, they are definitely a band for you."