### Disavowed: Perceptive deception

#### 09/09/08 || Daemonomania

If you’ve ever wondered what the differences between the “technical” and “brutal” death metal subgenres are, I’d like to recommend the following series of steps which may or may not lead to the clarification of this matter. And along the way, we will use the deep, intelligent, and boner-inducing lyrics of Disavowed to guide us.

The area between extremes opens up multiple possibilities It enhances objectiveness in criticizing matter involved Because it’s based upon differentiated ways of thinking

What a helpful way to think about it! Thanks, Disavowed. Onward. First, listen to Cannibal Corpse’s “The bleeding” and Suffocation’s “Pierced from within.” Not their debut albums, I know, but a good representation of where each band was coming from at the time. Note a mix of varied song structures, choruses, and dare I say an odd sense of melody to differentiate between songs. Can you call this stuff brutal? You most certainly can. Can you say there are breakdowns, or at least slow, rhythmic sections juxtaposed with faster, blasting sections? Again, yes. Are both albums pretty spiffy? They are. Good job, everyone, you’ve completed step one.

Matter has to be objective in order to make it discussable The object of discussion needs to be a tangible one To every subject involved, so it has to refer to a tangible object

Good point. Let’s refer to another pair of tangible objects, namely compact discs, to further this discussion. We’ve taken a look at some of the founders of the brutal death scene, who also have had some impact on the tech death masses as well. As time passed the two subgenres seemed to grow further and further apart. To make things fair (since the Platonic scholars of Disavowed would undoubtedly prefer that), let’s take two examples from around the same time period and on the same label.

You know what I think about “Crown of souls” already. It is brutal death right down to the last metronome blast, and it blows. Deeds of Flesh are looked upon as great inspiration among their peers. Surprise, surprise. Don’t even bother listening to “Crown of souls,” because you’re soon to hear an album that sounds just like it. But not yet. Next queue up an undeniably tech death album, “Scepter of the ancients” by Psycroptic. Have the last strains of the “Scepter of Jaar-gilon” faded out? Wasn’t that song awesome? Yes, while there are some snoozers the power of the ‘crop is undeniable. They have intricate song structures, various tempos (not just blast-slam-blast), melodic content, varied vocals, and ACTUAL FUCKING SONGS. It appears that key points of difference between brutal and tech have started to emerge. What do you think, Disavowed?

The confrontation between dominant structures And unsuppressed intelligence occur at the edges of society Crises can be measured in the dynamic state of confrontation It enhances creativity, stagnation won’t occur

Fuckin’ A! Okay, you’ve made it this far. Now comes the time for the final step. Prep the album “Perceptive deception” by Disavowed in the music playing device of your choice. Set the volume at a moderate level. Hit play…and…prepare to be bored to tears by another cookie-cutter brutal death metal band. If you can pick four or five actual songs from the pile of blasts, über-guttural monotone mic-cupping grunts, general rifflessness, and semi-catchy breakdowns then you are a better man than I. Just look at the singer’s last name. Says it all.

Is this as shitty as Deeds of Flesh? No, they have a better drum sound and at least two or three of these songs could be called listenable. Which ones? Got me. But I’m not going to trade “Perceptive deception” away, or smear it with grasshopper guts and drop it on the rainforest floor in hopes of an army ant attack. Instead, I am going to keep it in my collection, so that when confronted with the educated opinion of some fourteen year old brutal death metal fan outside a show I can at least have a point of reference from which to argue. I think I’ll quote my Dutch pals when I deliver the last word on “brutality”;

It enhances man’s natural drive to form clusters And to compete with others within the framework of these structures

In the end, I have to thank Disavowed for confirming what I had already guessed. There is indeed a difference between technical and brutal death metal. Some tech death is good, most brutal death is the equivalent of a hamburger made out of horse clitori. Thanks to everyone who participated in my little exercise. I’ll leave you with one last thought from everyone’s favorite philosophers of North Brabant and the score.

Creation has to evolve from necessity It’s always on the crossing border of Existing and non-existing matter Creation will be based upon imagination

2 out of ten necessities to create an imaginative demise for brutal death out of 10.

Oh, and a side note of the cover art. Apparently the same torture killer who did this is back at it! Someone had better stop him before he strikes again.

- Information
- Released: 2001
- Label: Unique Leader, half of whose roster should quit life ASAP.
- Website: www.disavowed.nl
- Band
- Robbe Kok: vocals
- Nils Berndsen: bass
- Robbe Vrijenhoek: drums
- Daniel “Daan” Van Der Broek: guitars (and maybe there was another dude on guitar, but who cares, really)

- Tracklist
- 01. Rhizome
- 02. Abolition Of Impediment (I’ll take Suffocation song titles for $200, Alex)
- 03. Reason Rejected
- 04. Condensed (Milk) Conditions
- 05. Masses Conformed
- 06. Unfolding Disposition
- 07. Generative (Boring Drum) Patterns
- 08. Critical Emulation (of Deeds of Flesh)
- 09. Opposite Extremities