August 2, 2010

Reviewer: Roswell47

Decrepit Birth wowed many in the death metal underground with the release of its 2008 album, Diminishing Between Worlds.  Stylistically, the band showed major growth since its debut release, ...And Time Begins.  The Santa Cruz outfit was beginning to truly separate itself from the death metal pack and developing a more distinct sound of its own.

Polarity, Decrepit Birth's third and newest release, shows the band continuing its growth even if the stylistic leap is not as big this time around.  It seems that the band is trying to incorporate more "progressive" influences in an effort to evolve.  Really, this just means that they are including acoustic guitar parts, occasionally prominent keyboards, and a couple of instrumental tracks to mix things up a bit.  Acoustic guitars are pretty much shoehorned into "(A Departure of the Sun) Ignite the Tesla Coil" although they seem to fit the song much better after multiple listens.  Synthesizers are used in a few places, most notably in "A Brief Odyssey of Time" where a strange bass synth riff makes a quick but obvious appearance.  The album's two instrumentals actually add to Polarity's overall feel and certainly shouldn't be classified as filler.  The first instrumental, "Sea of Memories" is full of blazing guitar shredding and has a slow part near the end that's as catchy as a cold. "Darkness Embrace," serves as a nice outro mood piece with keyboard and piano accents that help wind down the album.  

In addition to the previously mentioned changes, Decrepit Birth has also reduced its suffocating, pounding hyper-brutality giving the songs more room to breathe on Polarity.  Ringing chords and excellent dissonant arpeggios open up songs like "Metatron" and give the listener brief respite from the battering mayhem.  Slow, rolling drums and suspended spider-finger chords serve a similar function in "Solar Impulse."  Polarity's songs are also slightly toned-down in the technicality and speed departments in exchange for more immediately memorable tunes.  This can be seen as a good or a bad thing depending on your perspective.  Part of the band's catchiness is achieved by upping the Death influence on Polarity.  Schuldiner and Co.'s memorable style is alive and well in several riffs in "The Resonance," "Mirroring Dimensions," and "A Brief Odyssey in Time."  Decrepit Birth also utilizes simple melodic lead guitar hooks in "Metatron," "The Resonance," and "Symbiosis" helping make the songs hard to forget.  These catchy characteristics coupled with the more "progressive" elements mentioned above give each of the songs their own personality. This makes it easier to distinguish the songs from one another than on past releases.  

Despite all of the talk of catchiness and evolution, don't think that Decrepit Birth has changed too radically.  The differences between Diminishing Between Worlds and Polarity are much more subtle than the drastic leap between the first two Decrepit Birth albums.  Polarity's guitars are still heavy enough to give you a hernia, and there is enough gnarly sweep-picking to make you throw down your own guitar in disgust.  Polarity is also chock-full of rapid-fire double bass drums which particularly impress in moments like the stop / start double-bass attack in "The Resonance."  Also, the bass guitar on Polarity is surprisingly flashy despite the fact that it tends to fly under the radar when compared to the six-strings, and Bill Robinson continues to growl along with the din about all things celestial, ethereal, and mysterious. 

While Polarity may not be quite as intense and heavy as Diminishing Between Worlds, it is still an awesome achievement nonetheless.  Depending on your point of view, Diminishing Between Worlds may have a slight edge on Polarity, but Decrepit Birth really couldn't have taken the Diminishing sound much further.  Polarity is the logical progression from the sound that Decrepit Birth began establishing with Diminishing Between Worlds.  What it lacks in intensity, it makes up for with distinct, memorable songs.  I'm looking forward to watching Decrepit Birth keep evolving over what I hope will be a long and impressive career. 

Release Date: July 27, 2010
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  (A Departure Of The Sun)
     Ignite The Tesla Coil
2.  Metatron
3.  The Resonance
4.  Polarity
5.  Solar Impulse
6.  Mirroring Dimensions
7.  A Brief Odyssey In Time
8.  The Quickening Of Time
9.  Sea Of Memories
10.  Symbiosis
11.  Darkness Embrace

Total playing time:  38:29

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Decrepit Birth - Polarity