Clemency

Item: Spiritual Domination
Author: Grindboy

Spiritual Domination

(1999)

Reviewed by Grindboy

Discogs YouTube Music

Label Nascent Frost RecordsDead Zine1999

death metal grindcore

In terms of metal, at least, Brazil is NO LONGER a less-developed nation! Clemency blasts at us here with 6 songs of technical, brutal death metal. After hearing this, you won't be even a little surprised to see a Crimson Thorn shirt in the band photos, as that's the band that they most remind me of. Looow guttural vocals and lots of sporadic blasts coming and going in the midst of fairly intricate guitar work. They never let a feel become stale, but rather keep changing changing changing the beat or riff or both. The result is one of my favorite things on the planet -- thoughtful, interesting, brutal death metal.

And you can tell what you're listening to, and that it is all of those things -- but.

The song "Black Winds of Death", which I first heard on the Screams of Abaddon comp. served as my introduction to Clemency, and it was a GREAT song with quality production. This album was recorded at several different times though, and no other song really sounds nearly as good. The mix is always good -- the drums don't bury the guitars or anything like that -- but none of the instruments sounds nearly as big or clean as they should. Honestly, sometimes the bass drum sounds like a pebble avalanche more than anything, and it's really too bad, because the music is totally worthwhile. Orc-Cleaver did also mention the cover art, and I don't understand it either -- it really does look Satanic, but the lyrics are certainly agreeable despite the English as a second language factor.

Bottom line -- this is good metal. If you won't mind the production, pick it up and you'll be glad you did. Just be forewarned that this is an indie, and it sounds like it.

8/10