Self Released 2012
1.Beckoning Oblivion 2.Dedication To A Dead Cause 3.Folorn World
4.Godless 5.Vision 6.Sentient Disease 7.The Quantum Apocalypse
8.Sickening Dogma 9.Illusion Aesthetic 10.Prototype 11.Archetype
An air of anticipation is being set with the grandiose beginning to ‘Beckoning Oblivion’ before the band blast in with their brand of thrashy death metal, guitars blazing and drums blasting, oblivion is indeed being beckoned. The musicianship is first rate, dual lead guitars a heavy feature in this opener, melody at the core of every lead, the fret boards are being given a really frantic workout. Vocals are as expected, hateful and spewing venom. What stands out vocally is the use of two styles of guttural vocals which works extremely well, the deeper more death metal style vocals backing the main screamed voice…a great combination. ‘Dedication To A Dead Cause’ is another lightning exercise in precisely executed death tinged thrash metal, melodic guitar solos again very heavily used which actually add a very progressive element to the band’s sound. Short, sharp and straight for the throat! ‘Forlorn World’ begins life as a mid-paced thrash attack before blast beats and heavy death metal style riffing take over and really injects some brutality into proceedings. It’s not long before the now familiar melodic dual guitars solos take over, familiar but absolutely essential to the bands success as each song appears to be structured around these solos and it all gels together brilliantly. There’s a hint of ‘Dew Scented’ to BD’s sound, not quite as brutal but just as precisely played, sounding effortless.
‘Godless’ is a fucking beast, pummelling blast beats greet you and the heavy death metal riffing is re-introduced, this is fucking brutal, real pit-stirring brutality. The dual growled vocals again used to great effect. The thrashier sound seen in previous tracks has taken a back seat to a more death metal approach, which is never going to be a bad thing, is it? 'Vision' flows perfectly from the previous track and is yet another exercise in flawless extreme metal. The cover artwork shows almost apocalyptic scenes and the music is beginning to set a similar tone. The production really comes into its own here, especially the bass guitar which thumps through and gives this track an extremely heavy end product. As ever, the melodic guitar solos are used throughout much of the song and as ever, work very well, never taking over but instead leading the song to its conclusion. ‘Sentient Disease’ drops the thrashier approach in favour of the brutal death metal stance, drums being pummelled in an orgy of blast beats, dual vocals again used to great effect, but this time the more genre familiar guttural/screamed combination is used and is a great addition to the band’s sound.
Beginning slightly differently to anything used previously is ‘The Quantum Apocalypse’, have a slight industrial tinge, but that’s mainly to the effect used on the guitars. Normal service is then resumed through the use of thrashier riffs, the song adopting an almost ‘bounce along’ feel, however, the introduction of the heavier riffing and melodic guitars solos prevents the track becoming an all-out thrash attack. The toes are tapping, the head is nodding, the band is doing something right! ‘Sickening Dogma’ is another bass heavy affair, a rage of blast beats and frantic riffing the introduction to this next track. Even when the pace is slowed slightly, the band still sound amazingly brutal….intentional or not, it works. With all the guitar wizardry on display it’s very easy for other instruments to get lost and forgotten about, thankfully the drums in this track start to really show what they are cable of, some great fills being introduced to the fore and taking centre stage. Good stuff! There is a real sense of something ‘epic’ on the ‘Illusion Aesthetic’, the sense of urgency really prevalent here and when the main guitar solo kicks in it is overwhelmingly epic, the guitar solo very reminiscent of something Amon Amarth would conjure up when they’re at their epic best. ‘Prototype’ is the shortest of the tracks, clocking in at just 1:30, but it’s not really a track as such, rather a guitar lead interlude / introduction into final track ‘Archetype’ which as ever, has everything…thrash metal, death metal, progressive metal, melodic guitar solos, intricate rhythm guitars and drums that continue to lay waste. Anyone that has followed the band’s video diaries on the making of this album will see just how much effort has gone into this album. It’s extremely safe to say the hard work has absolutely paid off; the production is first rate, sharp and packs a real punch. Everything about this album smacks of professionalism (as it is self released) and four musicians who appear to be at the top of their game and are yet another shining example of what the UK underground currently has to offer. Who said our scene lacks quality bands? Because judging by BD’s brand of thrashy death metal, our scene has another band that is setting a very high standard musically and is more than capable of standing tall on the international extreme metal scene. Comes very highly rated!
9 out of 10
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