CONDESCENSION — Hellbound (review)

CONDESCENSION — Hellbound album cover Album · 2019 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
CONDESCENSION is a blackened death metal band that formed in 2014 in the city of Narva, Estonia which sits on the far northeastern tip of the nation not too far from St Petersburg, Russia. The band debuted with the “Wrath of the Skies” EP and spend the next few years touring the Baltic State nations and then found itself sharing the stage with various international artists such as Sepultura, Primordial, Batushka and others. By 2016 the band participated in the Wacken Metal Battle and in 2017 participated in the Hard Rock Laager festival in Vana-Vigala.

HELLBOUND is the band’s debut release that came out in 2019 and features the distinct album cover artwork from USA based Mark Riddick famous for his contributions with Arch Enemy, Dying Fetus, Exodus, Morbid Angel, Rotting Christ and countless others. The band has featured a rotating lineup over its 10 years existence but this album features Ivars (vocals), Georg V. (guitars), Aleksandr (guitars), Katya (bass) and Andrew (drums). The album also employs the use of four session musicians on guitars, vocals and keyboards / samples.

This band is very much into the dark occult and one look at their photo op will convey their love of Satanism and the dark arts. CONDESCENSION to my ears sounds most like Behemoth somewhere around the the band switched from the blackened death metal sound on “Evangelion” to the deathened black metal on “The Satanist.” In many ways CONDENSCENSION seems to be on worship mode of their Polish cousins with a very similar sound, style and approach which is made all the more so by the Nergal style vocals of Ivars.

Not totally a clone but a little too close for comfort for my liking. In fact if this was touted to be some lost Behemoth release i can’t say that wouldn’t sound farfetched. Nevertheless the album delivers eight tracks at just under 33 minutes and features some aggressive guitar riffing, outstanding drumming workouts, a dark atmospheric backdrop and all dressed up with very dark occult lyrics which are in English. It seems that the band has spent more time in the vast potential of promotion and marketing than crafting a unique style that stands on its own.

This is not a bad album at all but it’s a bit too close to the influential source and sort of churns on without much variation between the tracks. Perhaps it’s the kind of blackened death metal that will satisfy those in remote areas where they don’t have much access to this sort of thing but if you are an expert in the fields of black and death metal then it’s not something that rises beyond an interesting novelty from a remote region in Estonia. Gotta love that album cover though as Riddick is certainly on the top of his game. I just wish the music was of the same caliber in terms of originality.
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