If you’re aware of Brisbane “sloom” kings Disentomb, then you know that they can be quite the gluttons for slamming brutality. However, with their previous album Misery, the band were able to introduce more dismal atmospheric elements, broadening the spectrum of slamming Death Metal in which they operate through advanced stringwork and intricate drum patterns. They have been able to completely transform their more straightforward slam-style roots into a more devastating and dreadful sounding arena of technical Death Metal over the years. With their new album The Decaying Light, Disentomb continue to stretch beyond all limitations of their embryonic slam genre label, accentuating their brutalizing style through technical progression, and asserting themselves through powerful grooves that insistently smash you to smithereens.
What initially drew me to the band’s sound on Misery (and I’m sure for many other fans) was the musicality that they incorporated into their writing. Each instrument plays tightly together and is constantly transitioning and switching gears. That musicality flourishes on The Decaying Light. The record opens with “Collapsing Skies,” grabbing the listeners’ attention with a strong Sun Eater (Job for a Cowboy) vibe, presenting this utterly heavy and torrid spirit. It is a similar situation on both albums, where this discernible and captivating instrumental thread has a strong presence throughout the full length of the album. With Disentomb, their guitar tone has become heavier and their playing style even more detailed. The lead riffs in both singles, “Your Prayers Echo into Nothingness” and “The Decaying Light,” highlight the string section’s transformation, producing a trifecta of riffs that encompass discordant, old-school technical, and heavy chugging qualities.
With The Decaying Light, Disentomb prove that they are not afraid to venture outside of tradition and use various instrumental techniques to represent their sound other than constant blasting speed, but definitely blast their asses off if need be. “Indecipherable Sermons of Gloom” comes smashing in and is both, in fact, vocally indecipherable and gloomy. Punchy double bass, pinch harmonics, and concrete bass work come together to make up this track’s instrumental fury. Bassist Adrian Cappelletti has truly outdone himself and has taken the sound of this album to new heights with his playing, which is a shining star throughout every track. Kudos to the production team for keeping the bass sound high in the mix, great move. Decisive drum transitions and demanding double bass work lay a challenging foundation for a variety of riffs to be displayed in tracks “Centuries of Deluge” and “Dredged into Existence.” The former track sounding like it was possessed by the technicalities and influence of Death Metal legends Nile.
Gloaming subtleties fill in the spaces on the slower and heavier tracks “Undying Dysphoria” and “The Great Abandonment.” The comfortless nature of “Dismal Liturgies” makes way for the doomier and sludgy qualities of the trudging track “Invocation in the Cathedral of Dust.” This is a full song example of how heavy Disentomb has become and definitely represents a slower side to the band’s sound.
The Decaying Light emits a colossal energy and pummels you with crushing grooves. Disentomb have created a way to interweave an abundance of discordance in their grooving slam foundation. Still toying with desolate soundscapes, the string work on this album goes leaps and bounds beyond their works prior, and it seems that they have found a new direction of sound to shift their focus, which is exciting for the future of this band. This album definitely proves that they can keep up their levels of brutality, add fresh elements to their sound, and make slam much more three-dimensional.