New Blood Incantation album "Hidden History of the Human Race"

[Eoin McLove]

Fuck man, 'Slave Species to the Gods' is the most ordinary death metal song I've heard in ages.  I have listened to it a couple of times hoping some of their genius would make itself apparent.  There's nothing at all interesting about it. It's cool that they are doing well and I wish them all the best,  but fuck me if the hype is going over my head.

[Born of Fire]

Fuck man, 'Slave Species to the Gods' is the most ordinary death metal song I've heard in ages.  I have listened to it a couple of times hoping some of their genius would make itself apparent.  There's nothing at all interesting about it. It's cool that they are doing well and I wish them all the best,  but fuck me if the hype is going over my head.

I like it but yeah, overhyped for sure. Massive Morbid Angel and Mastodon influence in the songs to these ears and it's definitely enjoyable but not revolutionary by any means. That being said I never really got into Starspawn, just never clicked with me. Interdimensional Extinction has some great moments though, mainly down to the drumming.

[Eoin McLove]

I always liked them.  I saw them live in NY and thought it was a great set but I tend not to stick them on all that much.  The two new songs I've listened to are so fucking ordinary I'm scratching my head wondering where all this buzz is coming from.  I hear fuck all MA in terms of either the wild viciousness of their old stuff or the inventiveness of Blessed or Covenant. It's DM by numbers.  Chug-chug- pinch harmonic... could be any support band from anywhere really. 

[Eoin McLove]

Might have been a little harsh last night with a few beers down the hatch but I think my point stands.  Maybe there's really great stuff in the three remaining songs that I haven't heard but I'd consider Dead Congregation, who are doing something broadly similar, to be far more convincing. They are darker, their riffs are better and stick in your head more, they are more vicious... Oddly DC are often referred to as being quite generic but I think they have a much more unique sound than BI, who get treated like revolutionaries.  I don't even think the new BI songs are bad,  they are enjoyable in their own right,  just a bit normal sounding.  Funnily after listening to that song last night it put me in mind of Ghoulgotha so I lashed on one of their songs and it sounded far more adventurous to me, despite them having been largely ignored before they disappeared.

[Trev]

I'd tend to pretty much agree with that. Never listened to them before so I stuck it on last night to see what all the fuss was about and wasn't exactly blown away. I enjoyed it alright, it's well played, catchy in places, solid DM but I'm struggling to see where the massive hype comes from

Going to give it a few more goes and see if anything sticks

[Ducky]

I think it's one of those things where (for my ears) everything just adds up perfectly. I really like their quieter, atmospheric moments too, there's great dynamics in their playing, it's not all going for the throat, there's a real ebb and flow to it. It's brilliantly produced and it's catchy.

I don't hear a tap of MA in there (who are to my ears one of the most massively overrated bands to ever exist) and even less of Mastodon.

As for DC, I seem to have the inverse experience of McLove - BI have a secret, intangible sauce that is hard to put my finger on and DC are a solid, but unremarkable death metal by numbers affair, an entirely forgettable band.

Taste is a funny auld thing.

[Pentagrimes]

It's a matter of taste alright. I'd feel much the same about 99.9% of the black metal stuff posted, it all sounds utterly ordinary to me. BI definitely have some kind of inexplicable X factor and while they remind of other bands in places, they just sound like Blood Incantatio - whereas if you can listen to Dead Congregation (who I love) without honestly going "yeah, but they're just a younger faster Immolation",  then you're a better man than me.

[Eoin McLove]

I think my issue is that DC (arbitrary example obviously) sound distinctly Dead Congregation-ish despite not trying to revolutionise the DM formula on any way.  BI sound to me like a little bit of this and a little bit of that but there's not much BI in the mix that I can hear.  They are possibly a victim of the hype machine which is not exactly their fault.  They play what they play and they play it well enough but they are being lauded as something which they don't appear to be.  'Slave Race to the Gods' to me is perfectly fine DM but if it was a local band I'd  be excited about what they could come up with when they finally take their various inspirations and did something unique with them.  Some of the riffs in that song are literally death metal for beginners 

[Eoin McLove]

Fuck a stupid looking alien on the front cover et voila,  revolutionary!

[Paul keohane]

Theres some good footage doing the rounds of the album release show in Denver over the weekend,looked brilliant!

[Eoin McLove]

I know I'm being perhaps unfairly harsh on them.  They are grand.

[Pentagrimes]

Ah no, I don't think you are, it's entirely taste based.

Oh actually hang on, death metal for beginners? That's pretty harsh.

[Eoin McLove]

Don't get me wrong,  there's nothing bad about a bit of chuggy chuggy pinch harmonic riffage.  It has its place and can be very effective.  It's just the first thing anyone who tries to write a DM song is likely to do.

[Ducky]

Heh, yeah that's pretty harsh. They obviously know how to play. I've listened to a lot of the EP and Starspawn in the past, and after hammering the new one this weekend, they absolutely have a tone and style that's "them". It stands out and is memorable to me.

I remember reading an interview with either Mike Portnoy or Gene Hoglan (up or down it was someone that really knows their way around a drum kit) and they were criticized for playing a "drumming for beginners" (paraphrasing) part in a song and their response was along the lines of it's a song and you play what works and you also have dynamics, it's not an exercise to build chops or a challenge to play as technically as possible all the time.

And I think that's another reason why they're memorable - they're playing for the song and letting it breath and have dynamics. Not everything has to be super technical, original or pulverising.

[Ducky]

I'd also say that while I don't think they're trying to revolutionise death metal or what have you, the two latter tracks aren't exactly what you'd expect to find on a typical death metal record.