HOLOCAUSTUM - In The Fields They Bled
July 3, 2015, 8 years ago
(Horror Pain Gore Death)
Indiana's Holocaustum get it right here on album number two, the band having tons of confidence and authority in the delivery of their solid meat 'n' potatoes death metal. But while it's meaty and, uh, potato-y, the band has a cool enough sound to prevent things from getting boring: the explicit war themes just make you think of Bolt Thrower and Hail Of Bullets, and while the tunes aren't up to the level of either of those bands, it's definitely getting there. Check out the elegance of "Atrocities Of War", where the band lays down quick tasteful solos and plays with dynamics in a way that really works, or the great, aggressive grinding of "Am I Not Merciful?" (another good song title: "Can You Not Smell The Stench?"). Tons of potential here for this crew, the band working within strict subgenre confines but still managing to harvest a bit of identity along the way.