ANGELCORPSE — Exterminate (review)

ANGELCORPSE — Exterminate album cover Album · 1998 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Exterminate" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US death metal act Angelcorpse and the successor to "Hammer of Gods" from 1996. The album was released through Osmose Productions in early 1998 and recorded at Morrisound Studios during October/November 1997. Since the recording of the debut album second guitarist Bill Taylor has been added to the lineup, making Angelcorpse a four-piece on "Exterminate".

Stylistically the music on "Exterminate" continues the blasphemous/occult themed blackened death metal style featured on "Hammer of Gods (1996)", but adds in the extremity department. "Exterminate" is if possible even more uncompromising and inaccessible than "Hammer of Gods (1996)" was. The closest relative is probably Morbid Angel, but Angelcorpse are generally far more extreme and less immediately catchy.

The music consists of fast and very technically well played drumming, fast and aggressive tremolo riffing, screaming atonal guitar solos, and lead vocalist/bassist Pete Helmkamp´s snarling hate filled growling in front. The rest of the music has little to do with black metal, but Helmkamp´s vocals provide the music with a blackened touch, and his vocals are generally a great asset to the band´s music. His got a rare caustic delivery that leaves no doubt that he means business, spitting out his blasphemous hatred.

Viewed upon objectively the material on the 8 track, 39:49 minutes long album is actually a bit one-dimensional, and the tracks don´t differ that much in sound or style. You´ll find catchy vocal phrases and a riff here and there that you´ll be able to remember, but overall this is a full on assault of raw and aggressive blackened death metal almost completely without melody nor hooklines. While that may sound negative or off putting to some listeners, that´s actually the whole point of a release like "Exterminate". Angelcorpse is obviously not out to cater to those listeners who crave variation or instantly catchy hooks, but rather those who want their death metal as extreme, raw, and chaotic sounding as possible.

Tracks like "Christhammer", "Phallelujah", and "Sons of Vengeance" feature bludgeon guarentee, and that´s more or less how you feel after listening to "Exterminate". Like you´ve just been beaten by an angry mob. So if you can stand a 40 minutes beating I can highly recommend "Exterminate", even though a slightly more varied songwriting approach could probably have lifted the overall quality and accessibility of the album. Nonetheless it´s still a high quality blackened death metal album, featuring high level musicianship, an organic and raw sounding production, and uncompromising high quality songwriting (when speaking of individual tracks) and a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.
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