Blasphemous - Bearer of the Darkest Plagues

May 13, 2010

Reviewer: J. A. Burt

Blasphemous is a Philadelphia-area blackened death metal band, and Bearer of the Darkest Plagues is their sophomore album which, I’m sorry to announce, is kind of a mess.  The band seems to have a lot of good ideas.  They’re trying to utilize a healthy amount of technicality and speed in their sound, but are clearly writing music that is, as of yet, outside their realm of instrumental proficiency.  That’s not to say the songwriting is all bad, or that their musical abilities are abominable, it’s just that they write better than they play.

Right from the start, it’s clear that the drummer is having an extremely difficult time keeping up with the rest of the band; a flaw that personally makes for an acutely laborious listening experience.  This really only seems to happen during the frequent blasting sections.  When they slow it down here and there, the percussion is fine, but it’s a big problem in a band with material that features so many blastbeats.  The vocalist has a decent voice it seems, but his delivery pretty much consists of a dispassionate, almost spoken word style, lacking any real semblance of emotion which leads to a problematic monotony over the course of the album’s too-long running time of about an hour. 

Top this all off with an off-putting mid-range dominated production style befitting a cassette demo and you’ve got yourself one hell of a tough time getting through the album.  The production oddly seems to improve at the exact half-way point of the album for some reason, but the improvement is nominal by that point.  I will say, however that the song “Drift into the Depths of Suicide” succeeds in getting a respectable, almost Khold-ish groove going and is by far the most unique and promising tune on Bearer of the Darkest Plagues.  Otherwise, however, there are just too many glaring obstacles-to-enjoyment within this album for me to recommend it.

Release Date: 2010
Label: Grim Nocturnal Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  When the Dark Storms Surround
2.  Enslave the Masters
3.  Drift into the Depths of Suicide
4.  Entering Oblivion
5.  Path to Our Demise
6.  Among the Wolves
7.  Raped Upon the Altar
8.  Genocide of the Kingdom
9.  Decimator of Holy Manifestations
10.  Unending Misery

Total playing time:  55:05

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