STILLBORN

Poland’s Stillborn have apparently been knocking around the scene since 1997, churning out blackened death metal layered with intense riffs and noise of the old school variety. ‘Los Asesinos Del Sur’, an album of ruthless rage, continues in that tradition with nothing but intensely punishing and rabidly violent tracks. Going straight for the jugular, ‘Overture .966’ opens with an alarm – apt considering what is to follow – and a slow, dramatic dirge that develops into a barrage of guitars and double-kick drums. The first full song of the album, ‘Hymn of Destruction’, has hints of Behemoth and Dark Throne but is strong enough to define Stillborn as an entity all their own. Delivering fatal blow one after another, ‘Diamond of the Last Water’ is a lightning blast of death and thrash, a trait that continues throughout the album as Stillborn deliver devastation in short, straight-to-the-point chunks of brutality. Frontman Killer’s vocals, prominent in the mix, are shards of glass venomously spat indiscriminately from the fortified trenches of their sonic stronghold. Check the mighty riffs and chords that fuel ‘Son of the Holy Motherfucker’ (possibly the best song title ever!) and the tremolo-picked rabidity that underscores ‘Blood and Dust’ for examples of their sheer ferocity. ‘Kot Wolanda’, at under two minutes, is as blunt as it is merciless. As uncompromising in their vision and in their delivery as Stillborn are, this vision can be a tad myopic as the tracks do tend to resemble each other too closely at times, making listening a trudge. At 31 minutes long, you’d think that there’d be little room for repetition and the end product would be a little more concentrated. However, if ever an example of the no-bullshit approach was needed, ‘Los Asesinos Del Sur’ is pretty close to the embodiment of it.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Ataman Productions

Album

LOS ASESINOS DEL SUR

Review by Jason Guest

RUNNING TIME:

31:00

RELEASE DATE:

1st Sept 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) Overture .966
2) Hymn of Destruction
3) Diamonds of the Last Water
4) Antonym
5) Son of the Holy Motherfucker
6) Blood and Dust
7) Kot Wolanda
8) Los Asesinos Del Sur
9) Stillborn II
10) Whore of the Whores

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Poland

"Stillborn deliver devastation in short, straight-to-the-point chunks of brutality."