Over a decade ago, one had to think after Decapitated broke out withWinds of Creation there would be a groundswell of sound-alike’s, or if we want to get cute, another batch of 15 and 16 year-olds playing death metal. Then Behemoth hit, Vader stabilized, and Decapitated took off, then were beset with tragedy, so the prospect of another fresh-faced Polish death metal band in the form of Calm Hatchery is at least, mildly appealing.
Suffice it to say, Calm Hatchery has been studying the Decap playbook carefully, with a bounty of whirling Morbid Angel riffs (see “We Are the Universe”) and the usual barrage of chunky rhythms on “Them” and “Those Who Were.” A crystalline production job makes this suitable for death metal circa 2010/2011, resulting in some admirable, but hardly fresh ideas during the opening strands of album highlight “Lost In the Sands.”
Like Decapitated, the musicianship is top of the line, and the technical proficiency of some of these tracks are right in line with modern day Cannibal Corpse, and the bands
just below CC on the DM totem pole. In the end however, Sacrilege of Humanity is clearly built to leech off the legacy Decapitated started in 2000. There can be only one Decapitated, but if death metal has proved anything, it’s that one is never enough.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)