Album Review: Deteriorot - Awakening
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Deteriorot are that band who, upon their formation, only had sporadic releases during their early days. Formed in 1990 out of New Jersey initially, the band have since relocated to North Carolina, United States. They had their Demos, their 1993 EP Manifested Apparitions Of Unholy Spirits but they never had their debut full length until 2001’s In Ancient Beliefs. Though periods of activity were temperamental the band have never disbanded so in 2025 Deteriorot can actively state they have been going for thirty-five years though frontman Paul Zavaleta remains the sole original member and the band’s pillar driving. Picking up in the 2010s starting with their second album, The Faithless, another EP and a Compilation released, but it’s arguable now has been the band’s most productive era. 2023’s The Rebirth cites a pivotal moment for them as it saw the band receive new life into their veins bringing us to their fourth album, set for an October 21st release date, signed on through Xtreem Music. For years Deteriorot have enjoyed success on the margins and, who knows, Awakening could be a record that gets heads turning.
Releasing Awakening just two years on from The Rebirth we’re surely in Deteriorot’s golden age, their greatest stability to date. It’s why we’re able to experience death metal that feels so tightly wound and put together; Awakening doesn’t feel like a band reviving themselves once more rather they’re continuing where they first off. I’d argue this especially because while the band deliver death metal in the old school vein, the atmosphere feels darker, more malicious and without any mercy. See the vocals, performed by Zavaleta, as he seemingly digs deeper than he’s ever dared to before, summoning heathen spirits growling long and sonorous. In addition the songwriting has been gifted a slower pace though harnessing an evil calibre reminiscent to early Immolation. Though Deteriorot are basking in the rays of their golden age we shouldn’t consider this a Part Two of The Rebirth; Awakening is firmly its own beast and deserves to be respected as such.
I also feel like the production applied to Awakening has done nothing but wonders for the band as it’s given their performance a leaner, darker style that, though evident upon the surface beforehand, Deteriorot infuse within the latent and lurking quality this record purports. While their sound has always lusted towards devastation and salivated all things corrupting, Awakening brings to the forefront a newborn and sickening desire for salacious, unspeakable deeds. I’d describe Deteriorot’s soundscape herein as one that’s pulled back from our faces, yet doing so provides space necessary recognising their seething, psychosexual machinations. Experiencing Awakening recalls my first times with old school death metal, knowing I was listening to something a degree more sinister than contemporary metal at the time. It’s a record that’s a joy to listen to.
There’s something with the pitch that brings this idea to mind. From the vocals to the riffs, the drums etc, everything sounds like it’s been brought down a notch. The malevolent factor they champion feels emphasised because the songwriting isn’t aspiring for lofty planes, thus the band ground their performance all the more where one could almost touch them through the record. I think it’s this downward curve the band have effectively applied that lends them the stronger believability to their sound; as they play and bring this lower tone forth Awakening embodies a thoroughly tangible horror. It wouldn’t a stretch to dub this a death/doom album given the band’s approach to tempo, tone and the general aesthetic their performance assumes. The bass plays fat chords as solos melt your face and joyous laughter consumes the world. It’s worth noting the band are disciplined and don’t explode without good reason to, so when they finally do it feels earned, unlocking the most volatile instances out of the band.
The record contains twelve tracks, each of which are concise and won’t require long to get through them. Typically this’s result in a rapid-fire experience, but because of Deteriorot’s production, their choice in pacing and tone, they’ve given every single track on record worthwhile presence where the forgetting of one cannot happen since the weight applied to each has been amplified tenfold. This day and age doesn’t see many records surpassing ten tracks anymore but Awakening features a run of them where twelve feels too few. The slower pace has given every track their time to be truly seen, as opposed to a gauntlet we the audience must endure to the end; Deteriorot effectively dare us to keep going through this nightmare they have crafted, though not as a whole, but through the individually honed basilisks they’ve conjured. This record stews you nicely in a cauldron where you understand the dangers you’re in, but it’s so comfortable you can’t help but sink further even as your skin peels. Just a little over thirty-five minutes Awakening packs more into its runtime than records twice as long.
In conclusion, Awakening is Deteriorot’s best work right now. The direction they’ve undergone for this record has worked exceedingly well with the kind of songwriting they’ve pushed out over the decades. By bringing the tone and production down to lower depths, Deteriorot have discovered the golden soundscape that anyone adoring old school death metal seeks. More than sounding amazing Awakening simply feels great to hear; what would be a rudimentary, uneventful track by another band, Deteriorot render with snarling glee as each track included feels necessary to the overall integrity of the record. Whilst it’s nothing you won’t have heard before Deteriorot attach a sense of macabre grandeur to their performance you can’t turn away from, enabling these shorter tracks to feel longer than they really are. There’s so much memorable material written into each track it’s amazing Awakening never feels bloated or some sequences never feel like their development has been stunted. Awakening is Deteriorot’s finest work and if this is the direction they’ve going down, I am all for it. When’s the next release?
