Dehuman – Graveyard of Eden (Kaotoxin Records)
Thursday, 12th March 2015
It’s sometimes a sticking point that nobody really does mid-‘90s death metal anymore. Of course, we’ve got plenty of real retro bands that go back to the origins of the genre and spend their time alternately worshipping Death, Autopsy, and Entombed and then we have a significant technical death metal group, hellbent on getting you dizzy with ambition. But where’s the straight-ahead, gut-punch of the mid-‘90s death metal? Well, make way for Dehuman.
Graveyard of Eden is Dehuman’s sophomore attack. Admittedly, there is a healthy (sometimes too much so) dose of Suffocation, particularly in the incredibly pummeling breakdowns. No, not those deathcore breakdowns, but some heavy NYDM-styled slowdown. They also embrace the technical and frequently speedy approach of bands like Nile and Morbid Angel when they are moving from track to track (see “Obedience to Pestilence”). The songs do their best to provide some variation in going between these extremes, along with some mostly interesting solos that pop up, and this keeps the album from sounding too one-note. Ironically, the one piece of the band that does go the old school route are the vocals. More throaty than growl-y, it does provide a nice distinction for the band as they attempt to fight their way through death metal competition.
It may not change life as we know it, but Graveyard of Eden provides a nice escape from reality for the time that it chews up and makes you want to launch in a destructive rage at the nearest object. For death metal of this variety, that’s really all that’s required. Plus, who doesn’t want to relive their ‘90s death metal days?
