Obituary
Darkest Day

Accompanied by a cover image evident tribute to the work “Saint George and the Dragon” - Gustave Moreau, 19th century - the most renowned and long-lived Floridian Deathsters on the international metal scene are making their comeback, despite having behind them two utterly useless and even blatantly horrendous post-reunion works: the weak and monotonous “Frozen In Time” but especially the truly execrable “Executioner’s Return”; considering that, regarding the potential rosy [indeed leaden] artistic future of these quintessentially lycanthropic, I honestly wouldn't have bet even half a tally: and yet, unexpectedly, it seems that the artistic “Darkest Day(s)” have been positively circumvented and they are once again capable of extracting some decently delivered and effective blows from the rusty sickle.

It goes without saying: what is proposed in the new work is always (and only) their typically raw and beastly ignorant Death Metal: within the new thirteen tracks, there is nothing at all that hasn't already been widely presented before (they are careful not even to think about doing so), at the same time what leaves a positive impression is the fact that the central core of the work consists of pieces in which (the excellent initial pair “List Of Dead”, “Blood To Give”, the pleasantly sulfurous “This Life” and “Lost Inside”) have rediscovered a certain ability to engage the listener thanks to a renewed vigor and also a sufficiently varied execution dynamic: elements sadly absent in previous discographic outings.

It is quite evident that we are faced with a work that can only be pleasing to those who, many years ago, have convincingly broken their neck with the formidable “Cause Of Death” ('90) or perhaps with the good “World Demise” ('94): John Tardy effectively continues to howl at the moon and the (let’s say) merry band on the side embarks on unraveling the usual deadly and ferocious rhythmic-percussive blanket of blind death adherence. It's clear that the new generations, raised on a diet of brutaldeathgorepornosplattergrind, or any potentially curious extrametallics, gardening enthusiasts and/or the patient art of origami can safely and abundantly stay away: the risk for them is to end up in the Guinness World Records for jaw disarticulation due to lion-sized Savannah yawning.

Time wasters abstain: UH!