ALBUM REVIEW: Ulcerate – Stare Into Death And Be Still

New Zealand’s monsters of dissonant Death Metal, ULCERATE are back with their sixth album, to be unleashed via Debemur Morti Productions on April 24th. This should be interesting and memorable to say the least.

Dissonant riffs and convulsive drums spew into a lively blend of claustrophobically disrupting progressions. The unhinged nature of this Death Metal comes through very quickly with its torturously bleak atmospheric assaults and macabre grooves. Truly an impeccable and visceral sound that pulverises with full force. Spectral guitars, magnificent drumming and howls vocals march forth with a tasteful disdain and abrasive yet mesmerising soundscape of deathly ferocity is unleashed. With the monstrous growls both instrumental and vocal, there is an unrelenting devastation impacted onto the listener with jarring time signatures and a really twisted approach to the songwriting which is executed so brilliantly.

Storms of monolithic riffing and putrid ambience give an intoxicating blend of disarray and disharmony in a way that does not feel pretentious or unlistenable, but rather an upheaving assault of the senses that rebuilds any pre-conceived notions one might have about Death Metal. Of course one can draw comparisons to excellent bands such as Abyssal, Portal or even on the blacker side, Deathspell Omega. However to assume Ulcerate sound anything like these beyond a few musical similarities would simply not do them justice. This unique and hypnotic blend of deathly, harrowing and disturbed Death Metal is like nothing you have ever heard.

Though melodious in part, the discordant and frankly unnatural sounds though organic in production feel like a malignant force eating away at you. This malice from the whole band is clearly the work of endless ideas intertwining in a transcendent and memorable fashion that must have been a painstaking creative process. Resplendent, disturbed madness in Death Metal form, many fans of the genre may shy away from such a caustic display, however those with an open mind will be greeted by some of the best songwriting and musicianship the genre has seen of recent.

Overall, I feel this album clearly was not ready until everything was able to fit into place, with no elements out of place or unnecessary, contributing pure ferocity and dystopian soundscapes to this juggernaut of avant-garden disturbia. A pungent cocktail of brooding, lucid and magnificent Death Metal from a realm beyond that of our meek understanding, an eye-opening experience indeed. Allow this temptress of mighty and eerie sounds to possess you or forever miss out on a profoundly twisted and bleak slab of obliterating musicianship. -9/10