Usud
Creator's Sorcery ()
Wydane przez Brand New Place/Mesmerized RecordsRok wydania Kraj CroatiaNapisał Wouter7
Croatia's Usud presents their second album and they bring churning doom fused death metal reminiscent of "Mortal Throne Of Nazarene" era Incantation with hints of classic Scandinavian black metal, Immortal is definitely an influence. Most of the material is mid-tempo but they occasionally break into a blastbeat or technical section. The riffs and structures aren't really complex but Usud seems to have nailed the mid nineties death metal quite well. Jurica Jakic has a powerful, semi-decipherable grunt and he's backed up by guitarist Denis Balaban quite proficiently as well. 'Arkay the Enemy' is the first track that really shows the potential of what this outfit can do. Broken Hope styled chugging riffs are combined with brief blast beat sections and a convincing vocal interplay. The eerie harmonies in this track really lift the material to a higher level. Branimir Tonkovic provides drums and his work behind the kit is fitting although it is fairly non-descript. 'Death Coil' once again brings up those skin crawling guitar harmonies and that classic Scandinavian black metal vibe. 'Black Aura' forms a nice instrumental interlude wherein the band exercises its skills, besides that the structure really allows the track to flow without a hassle. "Creator's Sorcery" is blessed with a standard death metal production: the guitar is direct and thick but remains clear, bass sound is warm, organic and audible while the drums take the forefront but never overpower the vocals. The artwork is fairly simple but it works within the context of the band's music. Given that Usud work on the lyrical/conceptual side to stand out a bit from the international crop they might be one of the Croatian extreme metal bands to keep an eye on. Not the most technical or brutal band on the scene today, but what they do - they do convincingly.
www.usud.org
