Anmod's debut is brutal, though not in the intended way. It's death metal by numbers: blastbeats, tremolo picking, chugging riffs revolving in odd meters.
Suffocation and
Cannibal Corpse are obvious influences. On one hand, the songwriting is efficient, with fat-free structures and puritanically disciplined performances. On the other hand, the songs are so streamlined that it's difficult to tell them apart. Solos, texture, and atmosphere are virtually absent. Sometimes the maze-like riffs coalesce into catchy, thorny brambles, like in "Wretchedness and Decay." Surprisingly neo-classical figures emerge from "Weakness of Will." "Behold" and "Impending Loss" transcend finger-twiddling and are genuinely sinuous. But for the most part, this is one big riff salad. The production enhances the monotony. It's clean enough, with good separation between instruments (the bass tone is particularly pleasing). However, the powerless drums sound like a sewing machine, and the vocals -- a poor man's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher -- are mere placeholders. These Brazilians have chops; their imagination needs to catch up. ~ Cosmo Lee