NEGATIVA — Negativa (review)

NEGATIVA — Negativa album cover EP · 2006 · Technical Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Conor Fynes
'Negativa' - Negativa (8/10)

As a reviewer, I should admit to the bias that I am a huge Gorguts fan. Not only is "Obscura" one of my favourite albums ever, but I also consider it to be the artistic pinnacle of the entire death metal realm, much in the same way as I feel Deathspell Omega's "Fas..." record reflects the potential of black metal. As a result, hearing that Negativa's sound was a continuation of Gorguts' more left-field style was more than enough reason to get excited about them. There were plans that the band was going to take a direction of its own, but things sadly never progressed that far. As it stands, Negativa and their self-titled EP stands as an extension of Gorguts' avant-garde take on death metal, an 'expansion pack'- if you will- to what Gorguts had already done. While it's certainly not the same degree of mind-blowing intensity that I first heard on "Obscura", Negativa bring an otherworldly sense of atmosphere to their strange brand of dissonance.

Compared to "Obscura" and "From Wisdom to Hate", Negativa take a sludgier approach, without necessarily treading into sludge metal territory. "Chaos in Motion" starts the EP off on its strongest note- a mind-bending collage of technical fury, dissonant feedback, and Luc Lemay's ever-haunting howl-growls. The production is raw and down-to-earth, but the furious musical tightness more than makes up for the occasional distortion buzz. With the trademark dissonant riffing and Lemay's distinctive vocal style, Negativa could sound a little close to the proper Gorguts to be considered something independent. Particularly on "Chaos in Motion", it sounds like it could have been a polished demo for something that could have possibly been heard on one of Gorguts' last two records. Fortunately, Negativa etches out more of a unique niche on the EP's centerpiece, "Tedium Vitae".

There are times on this nine minute stretch of dark atmosphere where one might think they're listening to some sort of abrasive doom that Esoteric cooked up. In fact, some extended passages here are devoted to a more downtempo heaviness- quite the far cry from the technical onslaught on Gorguts' albums. On top of the progressive tech-death, Negativa takes the dissonance to new heights with segments I might only describe as chaotic noise. Feedback and distortion are used to make some fairly painful sounds. Although it's certainly in keeping with the dark, dreary atmosphere, these 'guitar experiments' get a bit overdrawn, particularly towards the end.

I may have been left with an even greater impression had Negativa gone for a different approach than its parent band, but there are no disappointments here. Negativa bring the chaotic, fearful avant-death sound many listeners will already be familiar with, but- as the saying goes- 'if it ain't broke...'
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Goblin Sessions Heavy Metal
THEM
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tormenta De Arena Metalcore
VORAGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Metalcore
FUTURE GHOST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heretic Melodic Death Metal
SUNCINDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept Mathcore
FRONTIERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Future Ghost - Wolves (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Future Ghost - Nemesis Game (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Harrowed TwentyTenVideo
HARROWED
Bosh66· 3 days ago
Sunmancer - Realms of Dilemma (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 8 days ago
Sunmancer - Lower Cavalier (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 8 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed