Reviewed - 02/25/2006

Death Redemption
[Deathstrike Records]

Excessum (not to be confused with the Israeli melodic death thrash band of the same name) is a Swedish black metal band consisting of two members, Daniel Contagion (vocals, guitars and bass) and Erik Dahlström (guitars). There is a real drummer present on their debut album, "Death Redemption," but apparently he is no longer in the band. In fact, the press release accompanying this album talks in great length about "too many various member-changes, betrayals and other more or less similar and unnecessary crap" and "the band will from now on keep the focus on those things which are truly relevant, and nothing else." No information is given, on the band's website or elsewhere, regarding what happened to warrant such words. One can only assume some sort of nasty schism between past members.

Unfortunately, this glimpse of a troubled past is about the most exciting thing about Excessum. I have a great love for the genre of black metal in all its forms, and truth be told I enjoy listening to "Death Redemption." But there is absolutely nothing here to elevate the band to any sort of noteworthy status. If you like black metal, then you've heard most of this before. If you haven't, there are other bands out there who can pull off the old school black metal sound better. And Excessum probably isn't the band that is going to get you into the style if you're not there already.

Excessum play pretty straightforward black metal, free of any symphonic elements or overly technical passages. There are fast and slow segments, plenty of blasting and fuzzed guitar, and the required harsh vocals. The production is raw, but not so muddy that individual instruments can't be discerned from one another. Both musicians (as well as the now-departed drummer) are skilled at their instruments - the guitars are nicely intertwined and thickly distorted, and the percussion is a perpetual onslaught of blast beats and other extreme metal patterns. With the exception of a two-minute intro, every song on "Death Redemption" is in the five- to nine-minute range. But after a few minutes, one song starts to sound the same as the next. I'm certainly a fan of epic-length songs, but nine minutes of undynamic black metal blasting is a bit more than I can take. Vocally, Contagion is monotone and indistinct. And while I admit to knowing little about Swedish naming customs, I'm pretty sure that 'Daniel Contagion' is not the main vocalist's real name... and its similarity to the moniker 'Dani Filth' is just a bit too much.

Given that this is a debut album (and one apparently on the heels of a seemingly climactic lineup change), "Death Redemption" may not be the best example of what these two musicians are capable of. I hold a minor interest as to where Excessum goes from here, as it isn't unenjoyable to listen to. There just isn't enough of a reason to stop what you're doing and pop "Death Redemption" into your CD player.