Insidious Disease - Shadowcast

Release Date: July 27, 2010 
Label: Century Media

TRACK LISTING

1.  Nuclear Salvation
2.  Boundless
3.  The Essence of Neglect
4.  Abortion Stew
5.  The Desire
6.  Rituals of Bloodshed
7.  Facemask
8.  Insomaniac (Bonus Track)
9.  Value in Flesh
10.  Abandonment

Total playing time:  40:21

June 5, 2010

Reviewer: Roswell47

Like Bloodbath and Lock Up, Insidious Disease is another all-star side project.  The band features Silenoz (Dimmu Borgir), Jardar (Old Man's Child), Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Tony Laureano (Nile, Angelcorpse, etc.) and Marc Grewe (ex-Morgoth).  They play a simple and straight-forward style of death metal that would have been right at home on Roadrunner or Century Media during the late eighties/early nineties.  Shadowcast is the debut release from this star-studded group. 

The most exciting aspect of this album is Marc Grewe's return to the world of death metal vocals.  The former Morgoth front man has not lost a bit of his early death metal power and skill.  For those who are unfamiliar, his voice is like a blend of Martin Van Drunen, John Tardy, and L-G Petrov.  His growls are of the mid-range variety, and the lyrics are perfectly understandable.  His vocals convey a deep sense of emotion, especially on "Value in Flesh" where he sounds like someone who is about to go over the edge and give way to insanity.  Like Grewe's vocals, Tony Laureano's drums are another one of the album's greatest strengths.  Anyone who is familiar with Laureano's work in countless other bands knows the pounding attack this drum monster is capable of unleashing.  His drumming is lively and keeps the songs interesting, while giving them a sense of driving power.  He often uses intense double bass drumming and contributes suffocating tom rolls in "Nuclear Salvation" and the bonus track, "Insomaniac."             
 
Guitarists Silenoz and Jardar play down-tuned simple riffs that are catchy and powerful when they succeed, but when they don't, they can actually be a little too plain and dull.  One success, the deliciously titled "Abortion Stew," features a heavy-as-fuck groove that absolutely crushes.  "Rituals of Bloodshed," which features the guest vocals and co-writing skills of Necrophagia's Killjoy, also utilizes a catchy groove in its chorus.  However, the songs don't just use slow / mid-paced grooves.  There are also faster, thrashy parts that add variety to Shadowcast.  The guitar leads are usually drenched in watery chorus effects or reverb and add color more than anything.  These simple lead fills and melodies create an eerie atmosphere on songs like "Value in Flesh."  There are no truly shredding solos on Shadowcast, although "Abortion Stew" and "The Desire" both feature brief moments of fretboard flash.  If you are looking for technicality and guitar acrobatics, you've come to the wrong place.  Shane Embury's bass functions like an extension of the guitars and adds a thick bottom end to their sound.  The bass rarely stands out on its own and becomes one with the guitars to create a thick wall of heaviness.

Shadowcast features songs with traditional structures and catchy choruses.  Hell, even the lyrics are easily deciphered, and each chorus usually features the title of the song.  That, along with the excellent production and the skills of each of the players involved, makes Shadowcast an instantly likeable album.  However, as enjoyable as this album is, it's never terribly impressive except for Grewe's and Laureano's performances.  That is my only real complaint about Shadowcast.  It is a consistently good album from start to finish that grows on me more with each listen, yet it is never so amazing that it totally blows me away.  Considering the players involved, I expected to like this a little more than I do.  Having said that, I still plan to return to this album anytime I am in the mood for simple, memorable death metal.  Fans of more straight-forward death metal like Grave and Bloodbath should check this out.  Curious fans of the individual members of Insidious Disease should also definitely give this a listen, especially fans of early Morgoth.  It's a treat to hear Grewe back in action.  I hope this isn't just a one-off release, and we are able to hear more from Insidious Disease soon.  Hopefully with another release Insidious Disease will add a little more flair without abandoning their straight-ahead formula. 
 

Note:  The limited edition of Shadowcast also includes a cover of Death's "Leprosy" as a bonus track, which is not included with my copy.

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