Undead - False Prophecies (2015)
Listenable Records
Review by Trevor Proctor
Undead
appear to be a relative newcomer to the genre as there’s very little
information currently available about them online, even the press release sent
with the digital promo was quite limited – information about the identity of
its members, formation details etc. are all quite sketchy. Undead’s debut album
has just been released by Listenable Records and the band consists of five
members; Angelus on bass, Drauhr drums, Noctidurnal and Necros on guitar with
King Oscuro performing vocals. Even the hallowed Metal Archives has very little
info on Undead, not even a mention of previous releases or associated acts,
which is very unusual for what is literally the font of all knowledge for metal.
The press release did however mention
the five individuals in Undead are “back from the dead” – now whether this is a
ploy to spark interest or a genuine fact will only be determined once their
identities are revealed, which no doubt will happen through time.
The
band was formed, at one stage or another, with the primary objective of
creating old school Death Metal in the vein of Morbid Angel, Possessed,
Obituary and Death which is blatantly obvious from the first few notes. False
Prophecies features eight tracks which follow average death metal duration of
around five minutes each. The vocals are extremely guttural, instantly bringing
Obituary and Death to mind, and as with those great bands, the vocals play a
pivotal role in Undead’s sound, playing a front and centre role in every song,
again bringing comparisons with Obituary and especially Death.
Whilst the
tracks at times are driven by vocals the overall sound is the result of a very
cohesive group of musicians – the drums and bass are as tight as a gnat’s arse
and the guitar work is exemplary, the riffs suitably heavy and solos extremely
well executed. This is an album where the music speaks for itself, some may
criticise their name, album title or even the fact they’re playing old school
death metal but I’m of the opinion that if it’s played well then that’s a good
thing. Thankfully the music here is very solid - if you had to draw comparisons
you’d go with Death’s music from around the time of Spiritual Healing which is
a massive recommendation.
There’s a very fine line between writing/playing old
school death metal and the pitfall of downright plagiarism, fortunately this is
a pitfall Undead have easily managed to avoid. Granted, Undead’s influences are
very obvious to hear but this is a solid release that stands as testimony to
the talent of individuals involved, rather than a rip-off of glories past.
Gruesome
are currently causing a massive stir with their album, Savage Land, another
album that pays homage to the music of Death and I see no reason whatsoever why
Undead can’t cause similar rumbles - the music is certainly strong enough to do
so. Whilst instantly likeable, False Prophecies has a depth to its sound that you
really start to appreciate with subsequent listens and it’s this depth that
sets them ahead of the many old school Death Metal clones currently flooding
our world. Undead opted to let the music speak for itself with their decision
to keep their identities secret but one thing’s for sure – whether or not
Undead features a line-up of established names, is irrelevant, what is relevant is the music which is high
quality, authentic and extremely well played Death Metal, a very strong
release.
8/10
Tracklist:
1 - Unborn
2 - False Prophecies
3 - Voices Within
4 - Praise the Absurd
5 - Castrate Humanity
6 - Descending Souls
7 - Unbound to Eternity
8 - Emerging from the Depths
Undead's False Prophecies is available now from Listenable Records
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