Deserted Fear - My Empire

Germany’s Deserted fear are yet another act ready to frenetically embrace the aesthetics of the classic death metal sound of 1993, without endeavouring too much in the process, dexterously committing themselves to the momentous swing of the old school death metal flux going on these few years, without, unfortunately making any major deviations in the momentum of that swing. Bands like Deserted Fear have passed by ears nearly countless times, and they each deliver a fervour-driven blast of exuberant USDM, but unfortunately few seem to be actually potent at  rehashing the genre’s boundless accessories and traits and expand it further, or even inaugurate a pinch of musical astuteness. The Poles are arguably the most dominant race over the overt, brutal and double bass-ridden tendencies of acts like Malevolent Creation, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Massacre, Master, and albeit I only partly enjoy the brutal old school death metal that they bountifully gouge out, I’ll have to admit that Sphere, Centurion, Embrional and other related bands do their job well.

On the other hand, the debut release by these Germans, ‘’My Empire’’ eschews innovative tactics and embellishments to its simplified base texture, and for the most part remains as a dry, yet scornful and ear-bashing rupture of blatant muscular power.  It has a burden of husky spasms that it sends forth right away in each song, though the riffs are mainly bulky and apparent to the listener, with no way of engrossing the music or even making it a little more eclectic, and whether it be a chunky strident of tremolos, an energetic mute feast or a frenzied barge of chords, the album cannot provoke a salivating demon inside, ready to be tempted. That being said, at least Deserted Fear do not fail to add a certain groove to their rhythmic incursions, hurriedly sending a spasm of bulking neck snappers to do some justice. Had Deserted Fear inserted a brief pageantry in each song – just a brief one, then the record could have become a much more entertaining listen, but this is imply far too stable and far too plain, and drudging and monotonous at that, no matter the speed.

Destroying with muscular attacks and feverish excursions is the only thing this album’s good at, and even that is not something they excel at, apparently, and you don’t have to spin the album too many times to notice that. The first three songs actually showed more promise than their following counterparts, reflecting the ominous undertone of the album more prominently. The band is actually relatively savvy at guiding the listener through darkness-inflected tunnels, bearing a wicked evil death metal stench, but queerly, the majority of the album is a lethargic progression of bulks and  punchy chops. I certainly did not hate the effort conjured up by the young Germans on this record, but there are far better bands that excel in this brand of 90’s death metal, rendering this only a fun, frivolous listen for those who like to contemplate numerous acts dwelling, sweltering around the same field. And frankly it’s not much more than that. 

Highlights:

The Battalion Of Insanities

Pestilential

Nocturnal Frags

Rating: 70%