The Raven Autarchy - The Obscene Deliverance Review

The Raven Autarchy - The Obscene Deliverance [Technical Deathcore]

Found this band while I was on Youtube looking for random death metal, for which I have developed an insatiable hunger for lately. The Raven Autarchy is a pleasant find even though I was initially put off by the deathcore tag. The music is equal parts technial, deathcore and neoclassical (especially those leads). Without delaying further:

Audio: Well, it's the same overcompressed overprocessed clean audio at DR4 or DR5. Sterile production is good when done right but overcompressed music has no excuses. I have never heard an album that was 'enchanced' by being more compressed. Drumming is serviceable but too clean, bass is very hard to hear.

Instruments: Oh man. The technicality is nothing special by technical death metal standards but the leads are a complete breath of fresh air, which is what attracted me to this album in the first place. It's really just classical music. Not in the dark sounding solos by Jeff Loomis kind of classical, it's pretty standard classical. It sounds positive and a bit out of place at first but they do work well in the context of the songs.

Songwriting: Here's the thing though, the songs might sound the same if you are not used to the classical sound. I like that none of the songs necessarily stand out and that the songs are tastefully short. The album is barely thirty minutes, so the songs fly by really quickly and have a large replay value. However, melodic or not, the album barely rises above the typical deathcore standard. Verse chorus verse chorus breakdown, it's in almost every song.


Overall: This isn't going to be an album of the year contender for me, but I had a lot of fun listening to this record, A lot. The leads are not typical metal, no pretentious 'progressive' indulgences (something many bands abuse today). Its not just great for working out, but even for casual listens when in commute. I do however wish there was a little bit more wankery with the guitar, most of the time the leads serve as a melodic backdrop behind the chugging deathcore riffs and there aren't many traditional long guitar solos. A bit more variety in songcraft would go a long way, too. I haven't heard this band's back catalog, but I am really intrigued to see where this band will take us in the future. A lot of potential.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

The 10 Best Death Metal Vocalists (In My Opinion)

10. George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (Cannibal Corpse)

Perhaps the most popular of the bunch, Corpsegrinder has been unfairly ridiculed for being monotonous and boring. The thing is, Corpsegrinder still has one of the most powerful screams in the business. He has speed, (relatively more) clarity and a tone of voice that highly complements the band regardless of tempo. More impressively, Corpsegrinder can conjure up ridiculously long screams, such as this 13 second long scream at around the two minute mark in the following video:





9. Jeffrey Walker (Carcass)

Some may complain that he doesn't exactly fit the bill of pure death metal, since Carcass has gone on to play melodic death metal. However, Jeff Walker's vocals are clear, sharp and vicious. He brings in as much energy as his bandmates, and as shown on their latest comeback album, age has not stopped this madman on the mic.




8. Chris Reifert (Autopsy)

An unorthodox choice, Reifert is more popularly known for his drumming, either from his main band or on the first Death album. Unlike most vocalists in this genre, Reifert's vocals almost feel more like spoken word than actual screaming, which he rarely does. His approach has been an integral part of the hybrid doom / death metal that Autopsy does, and he matches the atmosphere of terror and ominousness quite faithfully with his restraint. Also, his band is such a breath of fresh air in this genre. Reifert even overshadowed Nick Holmes in his guest performance on the last Bloodbath album.




7. Chuck Schuldiner (Death)

It's hard to make any death metal list without its godfather. Chuck Schuldiner's vocals may not always have been the focal point of his band's ambitious musical direction, but he always screamed / singed with a passion that is rare in this genre. He also has one of the bigger vocal ranges, with energetic, high-pitched shrieks in the band's first album, gradually turning to mid-pitch on the band's groundbreaking albums since Human, and returning back to high screams on their final album, with an unforgettable performance with their cover of Judas Priest's Painkiller.




6. Julien Truchan (Benighted)

Another unorthodox choice, this Frenchman's band may be regarded as deathcore or even nu-metal by some of the elitists of the genre, but Truchan's vocals are highly impressive. He runs the gamut with high pitched shrieks, death growls, pig squeals and demonic low-pitched screams, all while matching the intensity of his band mates.




5. Paul Kuhr (Novembers Doom)

Paul Kuhr's band is also known as the 'American Opeth', but he is still a different beast from Mikael Åkerfeldt. Paul Kuhr has one of the best growls in the business, that somehow retain their intensity even with the band's arguably slow tempos. Besides that, he also has a competent low baritone voice, that serve as a break between his vicious growls.




4. Jason Netherton (Misery Index)

Another band that seems to fly over most people's heads. Jason Netherton has the unusual ability to pronounce his words with so much clarity even at his intensity level, a skill that many forget in this genre. O top of that, he brings in punk shouts and pacing to his vocals that distinguish him well apart from the crowd.




3. Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation)

Travis Ryan is a mad man. He uses a ton of variety in his vocals, even coming up with his own brand of clean vocals that make him sound like he is being strangled. His one shortfall is his total lack of clarity, but he makes up for it with the sheer variety of styles he incorporates in his music.




2. Mikael Åkerfeldt (old-Opeth, old-Bloodbath)

How far the mighty have fallen...  Åkerfeldt might be more well-known now for his clean vocals, which are fantastic in their own right, if it weren't for the fact that Åkerfeldt has one of the best death metal growls of all time. From the length of his screams (especially in the band's first three albums), to his pitching and tone and his absolute clarity, Åkerfeldt is the whole package.





1. Dan Swanö (Witherscape, Moontower, Edge Of Sanity, backing on Bloodbath and a million other bands)

Well, he is the best. No question about it. He is perhaps even the greatest musician in the metal world, having played guitars, drums and bass and being one of the best metal producers in the industry, his knowledge of everything on stage and off is perhaps why he understands how to make his vocals stand out. His screams are an art in itself, and no one matches his ferocity in death metal screaming.

Rings Of Saturn - Lugal Ki En Review + Commentary

Rings Of Saturn - Lugal Ki En [Technical Deathcore]

This album asks an interesting question about the state of technical death metal today - which takes centrestage, skill or composition?

For those who haven't been familiar with the extreme metal scene over the last few years, Rings Of Saturn is band that became notorious for alleged cheating in the studio. Former members have come out to expose the band's secrets, accusing main guitarist and songwriter Lucas Mann of using Guitar Pro II to speed up his insane riffs and sweeps on the album. While he continues to defend his skills, the resulting sharp, computerized sound is definitely outstanding. It is obvious that many of the album's sounds have been tempered with upon listening (for this latest album, since I won't bother about the previous two for now), but does that impair the listening experience of the album?

Whether or not the musicians have been honest, it's hard to deny the fantastic compositions on the album.. Lucas Mann's pacing and direction are breaths of fresh air in this overcrowded sub-genre, and the alien themes shine brightly in every song. The music comes across as passionate and downright inspired (especially the fantastic instrumental in the middle and at the end of the album). Sure, genre problems are abundant here, I am not too fond of deathcore riffage and breakdowns, which has always been detrimental to my appreciation of bands of this ilk, but the sweeps, codas, guitar solos and the fantastic rhythm section truly cement the songs here. Every song has its own different feel and motif, which is a lot more than I can say of the interchangeable songs in most of today's technical death metal scene.

So how would one go about analyzing the album? People do value honesty, but even if the band members did one day admit that the whole thing has been a fluke, and they have been computer wizards the whole time, what then? Sure, half the thrill of this genre is showmanship, but the band makes up for this with much better songwriting than most bands out there. It is by no means a perfect album even by that merit alone (cue production complains, DR4, argh), but it is nonetheless, a strong album. The band is still in its early stages (they are like, what, 4 years old?), and they are still far from their prime years ahead.

Anyway, I am not going to go ahead with any numerical rating for the album since I doubt a number can ever confirm my full opinion on this band for now. Perhaps, after a closer listen to their previous albums. The vocals are still pretty generic, if serviceable. The melodies are infectious, and the closing instrumental 'The Heavens Have Fallen' could give even the best of Animals As Leaders' a run for their money. The band's compositions are unique, but it keeps production and vocal approach, and the annoying use of breakdowns pretty close to mainstream standards. Doing away with these could make this the perfect album of the year for me.