Blood Delerium
[Red Stream]
Necrophagia's Killjoy has a seemingly endless amount of side projects, and one of the better ones is The Ravenous, a gore/death metal project with a decidedly old-school flavor.Their latest, 'Blood Delerium', is a genuinely frightening and creative album in a field with so many cheesy and unoriginal acts.
The Ravenous' sound is somewhat reminiscent of early Celtic Frost, with a mix of death and early black metal riffing. Add to that a healthy dose of horror movie samples and a genuinely creepy atmosphere, and 'Blood Delerium' is one of the better examples of the gore metal genre. It really is one of those albums that needs to be heard straight through, and at thirty-five minutes, it's fairly short. It plays out like a short horror movie, with several interludes ("Mordum", "Nightmares In A Damaged Brain", "You Will Be Eaten Alive") that really have a terrifying feel, especially "Nightmares In A Damaged Brain", which is a spoken word over a repeated buzzy acoustic guitar figure. Many of the lyrics are quite graphic and disturbing, and they walk a fine line between cheesiness, terror, and fun.
Killjoy and drummer Chris Reifert (Autopsy, Abscess) share vocal duties, and although I can't tell who's who, they provide a mix of styles ranging from death growls and shouts to semi-black metal shrieking to spoken word. The rest of the band (Danny Lilker of Anthrax/Brutal Truth/S.O.D fame, Clint Bower and Danny Coralles of Abscess) is nothing to write home about, but they are competent enough for the material.
Production on 'Blood Delerium' isn't very good in the usual sense, but its dull and somewhat dated sound adds to the atmosphere the band wanted to achieve. There is very little definition in any of the instruments (The drums are especially clunky), and there is a very dark sound to the whole thing. That being said, it really does sound like a low-budget horror movie, and it works quite well. If someone had told me that this album was made in 1987, I wouldn't have doubted them for a minute.
For you fans of gore metal who are tired of the same ol' thing, 'Blood Delerium' is a fresh change of pace. Its old-school sound and production values only add to its real sense of horror and dread. It's a well-rounded and creative album in a genre that is sorely lacking unique songwriting talent. All in all, it's a bloody good time.
[Red Stream]
Necrophagia's Killjoy has a seemingly endless amount of side projects, and one of the better ones is The Ravenous, a gore/death metal project with a decidedly old-school flavor.Their latest, 'Blood Delerium', is a genuinely frightening and creative album in a field with so many cheesy and unoriginal acts.
The Ravenous' sound is somewhat reminiscent of early Celtic Frost, with a mix of death and early black metal riffing. Add to that a healthy dose of horror movie samples and a genuinely creepy atmosphere, and 'Blood Delerium' is one of the better examples of the gore metal genre. It really is one of those albums that needs to be heard straight through, and at thirty-five minutes, it's fairly short. It plays out like a short horror movie, with several interludes ("Mordum", "Nightmares In A Damaged Brain", "You Will Be Eaten Alive") that really have a terrifying feel, especially "Nightmares In A Damaged Brain", which is a spoken word over a repeated buzzy acoustic guitar figure. Many of the lyrics are quite graphic and disturbing, and they walk a fine line between cheesiness, terror, and fun.
Killjoy and drummer Chris Reifert (Autopsy, Abscess) share vocal duties, and although I can't tell who's who, they provide a mix of styles ranging from death growls and shouts to semi-black metal shrieking to spoken word. The rest of the band (Danny Lilker of Anthrax/Brutal Truth/S.O.D fame, Clint Bower and Danny Coralles of Abscess) is nothing to write home about, but they are competent enough for the material.
Production on 'Blood Delerium' isn't very good in the usual sense, but its dull and somewhat dated sound adds to the atmosphere the band wanted to achieve. There is very little definition in any of the instruments (The drums are especially clunky), and there is a very dark sound to the whole thing. That being said, it really does sound like a low-budget horror movie, and it works quite well. If someone had told me that this album was made in 1987, I wouldn't have doubted them for a minute.
For you fans of gore metal who are tired of the same ol' thing, 'Blood Delerium' is a fresh change of pace. Its old-school sound and production values only add to its real sense of horror and dread. It's a well-rounded and creative album in a genre that is sorely lacking unique songwriting talent. All in all, it's a bloody good time.
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| Tracklist: 01. Razor Blade Salvation 02. Mordum 03. August Underground 04. Gore Whore 05. Baptized By Demon's Piss 06. Nightmares In A Damaged Brain 07. Festering Beneath The Fog 08. A Corpse Is Forever 09. Blood Delrium 10. Spawned By Ghoul Insemination 11. You Will Be Eaten Alive |
| Rating: 7/10 |
| Release Date: 2004 |
| Length: 35:34 |
| Review By: Chris Paul |
| Total Reviews: (1) |
| Bands Website: Go Here |
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