By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full
Length
Date Released: 19/10/2018
Label: Independent
This record is
wedded to the corpse of early to mid 90's old school DM and is all the better
for it
“Regime
Decay” CD//DD track listing:
1). Eye for an Eye
2). No Amnesia
3). Malodorous
4). Hunted
5). Hells Messiah
6). Hedonistic Gluttony
The Review
Six of
Swords, Canada's
finest death metal troupe, return with this beastly collection of six prime
cuts. “Polar Vortex” was an
EP release that ran surprisingly hot, reviewed on the blog a few years ago.
This record has taken all elements present there and ratcheted them up a
notch.
Once
again, the production is clear and powerful and the opener “Eye for an Eye” demonstrates that there
is more to the band than out and out speed. The main refrain is straight out of
the classic Morbid
Angel playbook and the band keep things reined in tight- the
expected blast never comes and instead this track is a crawling wretched beast.
“No Amnesia” changes gear but not
style- very pleasingly, this record is wedded to the corpse of early to mid
90's old school DM and is all the better for it.
Once
again, the vocals alternate a little with lows as the main course and highs as
the extra. “Malodorous” is a fetid
exhalation of doomy breath, but the band also switches up to much faster pacing
here as well. Excellent lead work and unexpected dynamics come up for air here
too- great track. “Hunted” continues
the tar-thick vibes and brings with it an Entombed-esque rhythmic approach.
“Hells Messiah” and “Hedonistic Gluttony” continue with some Euro/Swe-Death flourishes
and it is clear that SOS have built upon the great “Polar
Vortex” to hone and expand their sound. There are some great riffs
here, some great leads, an excellent production and nothing that goes too over
the top- no endless blasting, no pointless tracks that go nowhere. This is a
focused and lean release that I heartily recommend to fans of any band
mentioned in this review.
“Regime Decay” is available HERE
