(c) Sergej Lojko
Greetings from the sawmill: All sorts of Dutch metal celebrities from North Limburg – including current and former members of Legion Of The Damned, Collision and Cauterize – are dedicated as Defy The Curse classic old school death metal. A good four years ago their first EP was released, now the quartet is following up with the length of an album. „Horrors Of Human Sacrifice“ sounds exactly like the title suggests.
The opening “Leading Into The Realm Of Torment” is a short, terse wrecking ball that infuses Old School Death Metal with crust and, well, horror lyrics. In 135 seconds, the Dutch rattle through sawing guitars, hectic drums and guttural fury, as pointed as it is broken. Defy The Curse are really good at these short, precise neck punches. “Desolate Void”, “Swarms” and “Existence Consumed” oscillate between escalation and leaden, almost Doom-like heaviness. It’s not for nothing that comparisons with Asphyx and God Dethroned, but also Dismember, come to mind.
The quartet rarely takes its time, but this mode also works wonderfully. If, for example, the concluding “Dreameater” rolls off sluggishly and brutally, brakes itself in the course of the four minutes and finally capitulates to rot, everything is vain. The same applies to “The Oppressor”, which mixes and evenly distributes an overdose of concrete. Each string cuts through flesh and bone, the furious build-up to a little near-sprint sweeping.
Instead of surprises, it uses the mighty, rousing brutality of Defy The Curse. The Dutch know exactly how the old-school hare runs and find a good mix of rough sprinters and sluggish power hums. Of course, this may be anything but new, but it entertains from the first to the last second. “Horrors Of Human Sacrifice” has a heart for classic death steel and hits the bull’s eye non-stop.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 01/13/2023
Available through: Hammerheart Records (SPV)
Website: www.defythecurse.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/defythecurse
Category: Magazin, Reviews