Domination Through Impurity
Essence Of Brutality

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the debut dated 2005 (or 2006, but I believe it's 2005) of one of the most pretentious bands in the entire Brutal Death (perhaps even worse than Spawn Of Possession). They hail from the United States and in truth, more than a real band they are a duo, consisting of a chubby guy who looks like Topo Gigio and a bald guy who thanks himself in the booklet and self-proclaims as one of the best extreme metal drummers. From the way I introduced them, I don't think they've made a great impression on you, and I must say they really get on my nerves; rarely have I seen such arrogance and the desire to make music just to be the best—a goal that, between us, they fail to achieve.

But let's talk about our more modest friends in the world: one, as I said, is guitarist, bassist, and vocalist (Topo Gigio), while the other is behind the drums and goes by the name of Jordan Varela (already in Lividity and Lust Of Decay). This "Essence Of Brutality" (besides having a lousy title) is, as I said, their debut, and I need not specify that it features two musicians not only already mature but also already full of themselves: the offer is on paper a canonical Brutal Death blending elements of the American school with those of the European school, but in fact, it is a half-hour-long exercise in style where the two do nothing but compete to see who can play better. And up to this point, nothing wrong, if only they didn't completely forget that to make a record, you need to make something "beautiful" (in the broadest sense possible since we're talking about Brutal Death) and not just something difficult. Even the "brothers" Spawn Of Possession at least included some inspired tracks in "Noctambulant", whereas Domination Through Impurity offers nothing, absolute calm.

But let's proceed in order and talk about the merchandise our guys put on display.

Topo Gigio proves to be a badass guitarist; a quadruple portion of Sweep Picking (a fairly advanced guitar technique) enrich (weigh down in this case) already complicated riffs in themselves, full of scales and solos worthy of note. Honestly, I don't know if he plays in other bands and if so, which ones, but a guy like this, placed in the right context (and not partnered with an exhibitionist like Varela) could do wonders with the skill he brings to playing his instrument. It's worth noting that rarely is the speed at which he executes the riffs ever exaggerated: the overlay of the two guitars is well done, a sign that besides writing and playing impossible riffs, our man can also put ideas together well (something that in such messed-up songs is anything but easy). Some passages might even remind you of something from Psycroptic (the “clean” distortion of the guitar) or at least that’s the effect they had on me, with the difference being the lack of truly unique elements that make the latter great musicians. As for the bass, I can't express an opinion since the production (perfect, almost fake) is entirely focused on kissing the feet (not to say other things) of guitar and drums. Our rodent's voice is very good, cavernous at the right point, long-lasting, and full; perhaps a bit monotonous, but it is certainly the least noticeable flaw in a CD like this.

And now we get to talk about the big talker in the situation, the Varela. An excellent, sublime, unparalleled drummer, the best in the world; this is what he surely wants to read, so I'll humor him. However, things are different.

None, least of all I, would dare question his decidedly above-average technical skills, I simply dare to say that his display is exaggerated and that he knows how to market himself very well. First of all, the drums are triggered and poorly triggered (i.e., exaggeratedly), so much so that in the rolls you hear a booming noise that, if I may say, is more akin to those horrible eighties drums than a Brutal Death. Secondly, his pieces are practically a continuous solo; sixty percent of the drumming is made up of rolls, counter-rhythms, and miraculous tricks on the cymbals, and it seems like the songs are constructed in function of the “beautiful” Jordan. I would have expected him to bring out some nice odd times or perhaps some tasty variations on the classic Brutal Death rhythms, but instead, nothing, just rolls, continuous time changes, and various counter-rhythms. Extremely technical yes, but he wasn’t practicing; he was recording an album. It surprises me that with Lust Of Decay, he is a truly innovative and dynamic drummer, while in this project, he ends up stagnating in his rolls offering a performative that is far too "square".

In short, "Essence Of Brutality" is a technically flawless album, on the level of many sacred monsters of the genre, but in terms of creativity, it is truly poor; style, redundancy, and boredom (and, ironically, a passion for mice that emerges from the lyrics) are the common denominator of these eight songs. In conclusion, it's difficult for me to give a verdict to such a polished yet unassailable work: giving it less than four would be like spitting on their abilities, but giving it this score would be like spitting on everyone who, with fewer means, strives to do something more expressive. But given how I have treated them throughout this review, I think it's clear to everyone that whatever the final score is, it should average with what I've written.