It seems like the Italian underground has yet another band to offer to the death metal scene from its stout abode. ‘Hour of Penance’ were formed in 1999 with their first demo release seeing the light of day a year later. ‘Pageantry for Martyrs’ is the band’s sophomore release, two years after their debut ‘Disturbance,’ and still unavoidably derivative in nature. Amidst the throbbing palm-muted guitar passages and the pummeling drums that do well in convincing us of the band’s stature, this welcome slab of brutality smells of US death metal from a mile away. Sporting relentless time changes, tight drum fills, absolutely cloacal vocals and yes even some of Cannibal Corpse’s swirling riffage (“Far Beyond Humiliation” just reeks of the Corpse’s roll and churn), ‘Pageantry for Martyrs’ is pretty much textbook brutal death metal, meandering somewhere between Decrepit Birth and Disgorge minus the technical over-indulgences of the former; even Nile seem to have their say, especially on ‘End of relief’s mid-tempo chug. An invigorating upshoot on the death metal life-line of recent years and yet an album that still won’t do much for someone whose brutal US death metal isn’t the order of the day. It does make one think whether brutal death metal is on the wane or indeed enjoying a resurgence as of late, seeing that there are a number of bands that are still stubbornly blasting away like there’s no tomorrow. Oh and watch out for a hidden small song near the end of the final track; looks like these guys love their Hentai…
(originally written for Tartarean Desire - early 2006)
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