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Brodequin: Methods of execution
17/03/11 || Habakuk
I’ve been into death metal for quite a few years now, but obviously one still discovers stuff that one has heard of, but never heard. Brodequin is one of those band names I’ve read here and there but never bothered much about. Them being a brutal death band didn’t help, quite apparently. Admittedly, that ain’t my favorite subgenre by quite a far stretch, in fact I can’t stand most of the stuff that came after Suffocation. Anyway, this chapter is now closed.
“Methods of execution” is one brutal death album I enjoy. And let me add a little disclaimer here: if death metal isn’t among your favorite genres, don’t even bother with these three dudes from Tennessee. You will hate it. And yes, the most apparent flaw for this album is, there is practically no variation at first glance, but only within the very constrained boundaries of the brutal death genre. Which means we get a different style of blastbeat, or a thrashier riff once in a while, you know, true game changers, and that’s as far as it gets.
Now you will probably find two kinds of opinions on “Methods of execution”:
1. the brutalinion: Some people will tell you this was the shit. Absolutely and uncontestedly, these guys were the sickest, brutalest band out there. Preferably in this choice of words or other comparably “metal” statements.
2. the boringion: Other people will tell you this was all the same, “the reason they didn’t like death metal”, one-dimensional, uninspired and as a whole, boring.
Both are right. This is an absolutely humorless full-on take on the death metal genre. As such, compromises are not being made, and you really have to be into it to get some enjoyment out of this album. It’s insanely fast and very dense with a wooly, sludgy guitar sound and drums fitting well into a “warm” mix. That’s absolutely great in my book – the worst thing you can get with a blast-heavy album is a bangy snare or the likes. Nope, it all works harmonically here. Think Incantation in time-lapse, and with more precision behind the kit. Consequently, drum-wise and from a merely physical standpoint, this album is incredible. We’re not in a sporting competition here though, so let’s leave that aside and talk about the music.
On top of the instruments, you will find waste disposal vocals completely immersed into the whole thing. Rest assured you will not be bothered with a single comprehensible vocal line – and luckily, not a single “pig squeal” either. The vocals are just one more noise layer if you will, and as such they even work with someone who is usually not fond of this style, for instance: me. With everything blending together so much, all the more effective are those instances where the band break up the blowtorch-like wall of sound and bring out the rhythmic fills and interludes. These manage to keep the pace, but bring in the tiny bit of “variation” (decidedly put into quotation marks) that make this really worthwhile for the discerning listener.
Speaking of which: this is one of the best examples that there is no “good” or “bad” in taste, and you will never be able to win someone over on this album. It is most antisocial music, anyway – if you don’t listen to it attentively, forget it. It will just blow past you, and in that, it will fail completely at being background music in any kind of social setting. However, if you know what you’re in for with a decidedly narrow-focused, high-speed death metal album and have about 30 minutes spare time (or none of these “social settings” disturb your life anyway), you might just wanna give this a shot.
The reason why I like this, and don’t like most other brutal albums can be summed up in one word: coherence. Absolutely nothing detracts from what the band set out to achieve. Hence, a high score is in order, but, as I’ve tried to make clear, this will have to be taken with a big grain of salt by each individual listener.
- Information
- Released: 2004
- Label: Unmatched Brutality
- Website: Brodequin on Metal Archives
- Band
- Jamie Bailey: vocals, bass
- Mike Bailey: guitars
- Jon Engman: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Slaves to the pyre
- 02. The gridiron
- 03. The red theatre
- 04. Pressing to plead
- 05. Tyburn field
- 06. Durance vile
- 07. Lingering existence
- 08. Cast into torment
- 09. Verdrinken
- 10. Punishment without mercy
- 11. Methods of execution
