Man o' man this is a cool album. There have been quite a few very good extreme metal bands coming out in the "Christian market" lately, and this album is right there near the top. Discern is Bill Fraser, ex-drummer from Oblation...and that's it. He does get a little help here and there from others, but Discern is primarily a one-man grind machine, and grind it does! This is fast and brutal death metal with distinct grindcore influences. The guitar and drum sounds are totally fat and the vocals are rumbling subsonic growling. Among the brutal sonic feast, Fraser sprinkles some songs with flavors of jazz, blues and rock n roll to keep it from getting bland, and give it a slight air of playfulness, without sounding cheesy or trite. Also included is "Jasper," a cool mellow clean picked guitar instrumental--the perfect palate cleanser between courses of musical mayhem.
The well written lyrics deal with a number of topics in Christianity from praising God to rebuking the church. One interesting song, "Parallel the Righteousness," compares the eternal destination of a serial killer on death row who accepts Christ to that of a religious person who never knew Him.
At 21 minutes, it's a little short, but this is really the only down side to this entire project. While Bill Fraser may not be pioneering a new genre or style, his music is well done and has a distinct flavor. This is a must have for all fans of death/grind.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #76Reviewed by Doug Van PeltWow! Brutal intensity with fun musical additives. Listen closely and you'll hear all sorts of fun riffs, like Kiss' "She," and other quirky but lethally heavy and played with talent, showing insight into the creative genius of Billy Fraser (former drummer for Oblation), who did this as a solo project. Hungry for the heavy? Dig into this groove-death-core.Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by sesspoolIn light of all the death metal that has sucked throughout the years since the immortal slump of metal giants Mortification, this cd may in fact, come as a very nice breath of death air. This cd may not be mixed well, and may not even be very good. But it has the old-school death metal feel that bands like oblation, Cryptopsy and even the ol' Mortification had down so tight way back when. There…Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by FletchDid someone say grindcore? To me, this cd goes well right along with Chords of the Grave. In fact, this band would have fit well on that cd except it's not really a band (it's a solo project) and Discern is still active. The drumming is explosive and the guitars are powerful. What more could you ask for? A great grindcore vocalist you say? Well, Discern has that too. As far as grind goes, it's…Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by MuchChords of the Grave, Christian death metal's most recent compilation was not only punishing to our ears, but punishing to our hearts. All because every band decided to be a bunch of "poopy butts" and break up. Members of OBLITERATION have now became DEATHLIST, an inferior answer to the brutality they once displayed. Members of DISENCUMBRANCE are now DETRIMENTAL, who still rip, but are no longer…Similar sounding releases
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