Album Review: Civerous - Decrepit Flesh Relic
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Anytime I come across a death metal band whose logo I can barely read, my interest really does spike. That is the case with Civerous, a pretty recent creation that started only in 2019 out of California, United States and yet have already demonstrated how active they may be for the coming future. Already releasing two Demos by the time 2019 was done, the band released a Split in 2020 alongside Stygian Obsession who have likewise been releasing various Eps the past few years. Soon a Compilation and a Live Promo followed suit before, at long last, the band declared they would be releasing their first studio album, courtesy of Transylvanian Tapes who had signed them up just prior to that Live Promo, towards the end of 2021. Now, with Decrepit Flesh Relic on the horizon, what can Civerous bring to the table? Its no mistake that this is a band I’ve been keep an eye on from time to time, being the fan of obscure and crushing, underground death metal that I am. So let’s dive into this horror and discern for ourselves precisely what Civerous have in store for us with their debut full length release.
Usually, I’m not one for small introductory pieces however, what Civerous do here feels quite effective as it’s less an introduction to the record as it is already the record in action as the band take you through churning caverns and dank, hollow crevasses where the gales of wind are only increasing in strength and evil the further through this piece you venture. It atmospherically establishes what kind of tone you’ll be expecting to receive from the rest of the album now, but I especially enjoyed the particular absence of other instrumental elements during this opening piece as any such implementation would have removed us from our immersion so by the time it’s over the audience will be geared up and prepared for the rest that’s to come. It’s especially effective considering that the opening segment is this somewhat high-pitched wail along with a narrowed gust of air while the first real track on the album hits you with a ton of bass backing its riff delivery. It’s this juxtaposition of soundscapes that renders this opening as strong as it is.
It’s been a little while now since I’ve come across a riff delivery and guitar tone in general that strikes with such fervent clarity and impact. The closest releases this year that spring to mind have been the latest offerings from Sanguisugabogg or Fluids, each of which have made into trademark that pronounced and powerful riff tone that you can feel with every strum even when the band are playing at their fastest. However, it needs to be noted how the band’s overall prerogative here hasn’t been about speed so as a result the steadier tempo enables the riffs to feel far more accentuated than they would be were the band to simply perform at breakneck paces. Much like their opening piece, this approach to songwriting, enabling the riffs to assume a more defined shape allows us to really bask in the deeper evil this band are going for without feeling the need to just slam their foot down on the nitrous so to speak. Just one track on this album can feel to possess more presence and depth than another album’s worth, simply due to how Civerous chose to take their time and really get you to invest in your immersion here.
I appreciated how, in spite of the band’s established and crushing guitar sound, they didn’t just forgo the drumming on this record completely or leave it to gather cobwebs at the back of the record’s mix. The riffs are placed atop a clear pedestal from which the audience can obviously see and admire them that much is guaranteed, yet the drums are also given just as much attention to ensure the audience not only experiences them but also to simply acknowledge they’re there and contributing to the songwriting in general. Too many times I’ve observed album mixes whereby the vocals and riffs are given favourite emphasis while the drums are either far off in the distance within the mix or are given a low volume whereby you could experience a record without ever noting how the drums are involved in any meaningful way. Bass drums, crashing cymbals and even a few blast beats spaced out here and there give the drums the power needed to not only feel necessary but also to not feel forgotten by the songwriting. Listening to this record demonstrates how strong the drums are here and how much power they inject into an already supercharged album performance. The production has enabled the drumming to come across as pronounced as the riffs are, as a result the album takes on a gargantuan size as we feel every concrete-dense drop the band give us on a track-by-track basis.
While this album has a substantial blackened aesthetic to its soundscape it needs to be said how much doom the band ooze into their songwriting. It’s not merely a small amount of doom that is being thrown in for the sake of it however, there’s a genuine and underlying foreboding the band have attached to their songwriting that elevates their performance above the rank and file of other crushing and super dense records of this similar nature. The band’s concrete heavy and annihilating presence is here forthright however it’s the band’s doomy tendencies that seriously allow their sound to feel as accentuated as it is herein. It’s this doomed atmosphere the band bring along with them that gives their sound the additional weight, in addition to how the riffs are allowed to ring out against a blank background at times where the drums and vocals will seemingly drop away to let the guitar work feel all the more massive precisely because it’s left alone. The band craft a seemingly insurmountable force before you and it’s because of that doomy aesthetic that the record feels as titanic as it does.
The vocals are a huge proponent to this allegiance to doom metal as they’re not performing in a raspy or bellowing way like many death metal deliveries will consist of. Instead, the vocals possess a super baritone pitch but it’s not uncommon for the vocals to hang on just a few more seconds to particular syllables and vocal notes to really drive home that sense of dread and evil. In a way it’s quite alleviating not to hear a vocal performance that is seeking you out, here the vocals seemingly understand that you’re within their midst and so the vocals are pulling off a performance that is before you at all times as opposed to striking you nonstop because the band know you can’t escape. That sense of immersion is greatly amplified by the vocal performance which may become more aggressive, but this occurs only a handful of occasions throughout the record. This may run the risk of becoming repetitive for other bands but here, Civerous have tapped into their capacity for immersion and therefore the vocals don’t just come across as something their frontman is performing but an extension of that firmly established atmosphere you become entrenched in very early on in the album’s runtime.
In conclusion, this is a really effective album. From a grander perspective it may not do anything you haven’t heard from underground death metal lately but what it does give you has been fine tuned and honed to a degree that makes it a commendable example for when underground death metal is done right. Considering how each track grows increasingly longer following the midway point of the record it’s impressive to acknowledge how I never grew tired or bored of the songwriting that was being thrown my way. This is all the more accentuated by the doom aesthetic that is innately and intrinsically woven into the fabric of the record, as we’ve mentioned beforehand the doom aspect to Civerous isn’t something that’s been applied for the sake of variety; it’s a substantial element to the band’s songwriting and identity and Civerous benefit greatly by doing so. It makes this record all the more rewarding to hear as they end things out with the utterly incredible “Spiral Of Eyes”, an 11 minute closer (yep, 11 minute track closers are certainly a theme in 2021) that may be amongst the best album conclusions of the year, a final and triumphant declaration of who they are and what they can bring to death metal. I’ve always firmly believed in the power a strong album conclusion can have on your perception of a record and Civerous, through this final track, deliver in droves. A final, climaxing piece of cacophonous majesty that utilises string sections, fierce piercing vocals and track segments that nigh on transcend the obscure niche this work of death metal inhabits. By the end of this record, you may find goosebumps creeping across your body because I certainly did. Decrepit Flesh Relic is an extremely strong debut record from Civerous that keeps giving you something to hold on to even as the last minutes tick away towards its end, and amongst the most rewarding extreme metal of the year alongside Worm, Hyperdontia and Cerebral Rot. Exceedingly recommended.
