Album Review: Maceration - Serpent Devourment
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Maceration have come around pretty quickly throughout Denmark’s populated extreme metal scene yet we must attribute to this to some overnight sensation, for the band originally formed back in 1990 out of Syddanmark, the country’s southern region, and though they released their first Demo followed by an album, A Serenade Of Agony, by 1992, the band would only put out a further Demo in 1995 before the cogs slowed down. Cut to 2021 however and Maceration returns to life, not only releasing various Singles the following year but their first full length record in thirty years. It Never Ends… wound up being a huge success for the band, one I was happy to positively reinforce on (I even received physical copy of it from the band, much appreciated guys) and I’ve been curious for what they would do next. Late last year Maceration once again churned out a few Singles and, once more through Emanzipation Productions, the band will release their third album, Serpent Devourment, for a January 31st release date. Now I highly enjoyed their last release so you can imagine my excitement when I saw the confirmed release for this next opus. I therefore dove straight in.
Injecting orchestral elements into their opening Maceration haven’t returned to their latest record looking to hold your hand, for this soon gives way to a visceral and biting guitar tone that eventually unfolds into a full blown, chainsaw assault. Though not quite so strong a buzzsaw tone as Swedish extreme metal possesses, Maceration’s style certainly leans towards that sound though their songwriting still embodies that clenched, outlined riff approach which made their last release such a prominent listen. The combination of an emboldened guitar sound with the crunching tone ensures our attention is constantly fixated on what the riffs are doing in the moment whilst, keenly following the songwriting’s trajectory, the malice their soundscape projects is given few limiters to otherwise restrain their performance. I’d argue this is an even more unrestricted sound than their last album offered, however they’ve done well to ensure the guitar work isn’t the sole instrumental force imbued with strength throughout the mix.
On the whole, this record is extremely tightly woven to ensure all instrumental and vocal forces injecting their purpose and power are given their due, and that importance is reflectsd by the impact we assign to their strength. The guitar work is prominent in the mix but to ignore the might herein assigned towards the drums or bass would do Maceration a severe disservice. The whole album overall has a strong volume to it and thus envelops your senses entirely upon experiencing Serpent Devourment, but it’s far from anything overtly crushing and is never so much that it audibly blinds you to whatever the band have in store for you. Bands want you to receive the full breadth of their power and Maceration have pulled all the stops not merely pull in but to keep you there, for their blast beats do not overpower but rally alongside the riffs so even at the height of Maceration’s bloodying onslaught you’re always receiving a pincer assault of drums and guitar. Their mix has allowed for the instrumentation to get as close to our face as possible without hindering the record of displaying what is contained within that renders their songwriting so memorable, and thereby worth returning to.
Other than tracks ending it’s worth acknowledging the sheer necessity the band feel at playing with momentum. It’s evident their songwriting isn’t too familiar with employing slower or more trudging sequences of playing across the record but even with more methodical sections of playing, there always feels to be purpose and direction within their performance. Their performance is moving at breakneck pacing for the most part but there are instances where their tempo is far steadier, but instead of calming things down for a reprieve the band bring these doomier, nearly sludgy pieces into the foray, whipping out tapping solos and shrieking guitars. Like an abundance of Danish extreme metal, Maceration too aren’t keen on slowing things down unless it’s for a deliberate reason which, in this instance, goes towards providing variety and at least some form of break from a record that’s otherwise programmed for rapid, volatile slaughter.
I do believe though it’s the vocals that really help bind everything together. You can have the most vicious riffs and searing blast beats going yet they won’t matter for anything if the vocal performance is underwhelming or doesn’t match the aesthetic the band are otherwise playing with. I don’t know how else to describe it; the band’s frontman sounds and projects his vocal tone in the precise same manner which the riffs are played with. Something cleaner or even dirtier and more guttural would have best matched with Maceration’s Serpent Devourment; it had to be this gruff, growling performance and nothing else could have satisfactorily sufficed. The vocals are light enough in tone that they don’t clash with the riffs or songwriting within the mix but the instance that delivery comes into play it cuts and eviscerates like a newly whetted katana, piercing and bleeding is dry. The vocals practically float amongst the mix which means there’s less for us to work with while the songwriting is punching us, so our attention is kept straight and narrow and the vocals become another factor to enjoy. But since the vocals don’t seem completely entwined with the instrumentation it means Maceration’s sound doesn’t come off as busy and thus feels to be a more streamlined listen than other death metal works. The band may seek to destroy and dominate but they haven’t come here to overwhelm you so totally you can’t pay attention to what is clearly excellent material.
In conclusion, it’s no surprise that a record mixed together by Edge Of Sanity’s Dan Swano was going to be anything but sublime. Maceration’s third full length work sees the band continue the unbridled assault that began in their last release, though this time it isn’t to prove themselves after decades of inactivity but reassert their presence as something other than another legacy band making some form of return. Serpent Devourment doesn’t merely succeed on this front but establishes Maceration as a premiere force today in Denmark’s extreme metal scene. One could say other acts do more with their record’s runtime than Maceration have done here but then those same acts might not match the severity of Maceration’s performance within, wondrously mirroring the ferocity Denmark’s roster is renowned for. The band have demonstrated their return is no fluke and with Serpent Devourment poised for release, Maceration have earned their rapport amongst extreme metal. I’m already excited for what comes next.
Be the first to comment