Decayed Existence – The Beginning of Sorrows
Release Date: 11th October 2024
Label: Rottweiler Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Massacre, Death, Sepultura, Master.
Review By: Carlos Tirado
It has been a year full of interesting releases in death metal. However, many of them have focused either on being as dissonant as possible or mixing different styles, which is why Decayed Existence – The Beginning of Sorrows comes to us with something a bit more familiar. They offer reliable death metal with some thrash touches that doesn’t pretend to be anything more.
The album has one speed and one goal: to obliterate your ears. With an interesting balance between technical proficiency and absolute mayhem, it shows us something relentless and engaging that feels retro, but not in an old-school death metal way. It almost feels like retro-technical death metal, since I’ve heard all of this before, but not too long ago. It reminds me somewhat of what bands like Hour of Penance bring us: death metal with a no-nonsense attitude.
Yes, there are blast beats and intricate guitar patterns here to enjoy for all of you who crave crushing riffs. Decayed Existence has you covered. Even the guitar solos in most of the tracks are fun and enjoyable, something that tends to get lost when metal gets this violent. Yet, I have to mention something that left me doubtful about the album, and it has nothing to do with its retro nature per se.
You see, I would’ve liked more variety. I understand many people want an album that is merciless and offers no breaks, as a sign of toughness they can proudly display, but to me, it can become numbing. Though the album never becomes boring in that way, I think more dynamic changes would’ve helped it become more engaging or stand out from the ocean of death metal we have to deal with every day.
Overall, I think The Beginning of Sorrows delivers what it promises. It’s straightforward death metal that you can always put on when you’re feeling curious but don’t want to listen to something too bizarre, and I think there’s merit to that.
(3 / 5)
