QUESTION - Doomed Passages

July 22, 2014, 9 years ago

(Chaos Records)

Greg Pratt

Rating: 7.5

review

QUESTION - Doomed Passages

Call me a sucker for raw Mexican death metal, but I figured I'd be taken by Question's debut before I even spun it. It's not like I can remember anything about, say, The Chasm, but I know that they were Mexican death metal and I liked their vibe, so, assuming that all Mexican death metal sounds the same, Question were a shoe-in for these beaten and battered ears. Now, yes, I'm sure all Mexican death metal does not sound the same, but Question have just the right amount of blasting and slow-moving-gears sounds to keep me interested, as well as a general feel of eeriness and unease that lots of their North American counterparts lack. I mean, check out the transition from "Through the Vacuous River" to "Universal Path of Disgrace" for some cool, disorienting, and just outright awesome death metal. I'm going back to World War III Records here, just solid death metal, no frills, but something a teeny bit left of centre, even when it's totally generic (work with me...) that makes you pay attention. (Maybe it's because The Chasm were on Dwell, who, when not releasing tribute albums, seemed to exist solely to make me think of World War III Records somehow.) Anyway, if I can just mention World War III Records one more time here, because you never know when it'll be the last time, I can get on with saying that even this album's 10-minute "Bitter Gleam of Inexistence" is enjoyable, and the disc only loses a bit of steam due to its relentless steamrolling oppressiveness and general feel of familiarity; otherwise, solid, well-done death metal with a touch of personality.

 



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