© Cold Records 2002
CONSTRUCDEAD
Repent
CONSTRUCDEAD is a nice blend of CARNAL FORGE and pre-Natural Born Chaos SOILWORK. That description probably provides sufficient information for the discerning Metal fan to know if they want to check this disc out. Either you are a proponent of 'Modern Thrash', or 'Deaththrash' as I like to call it, with its often catchy amalgamation of late 80s-early 90s thrashy goodness with the added aggression, harsher vocals, and crisper production of Death Metal (either Melodic or Traditional, depending on the band), you think the subgenre has outlasted its usefulness, or you never liked it in the first place. I like this musical style, but I am not an indiscriminate fanboy. Several bands that play this kind of music, such as ARCH ENEMY, SOILWORK, and THE HAUNTED have really disappointed me with their most recent efforts, and I have never been a huge fan of CARNAL FORGE, although they definitely have some good songs.CONSTRUCDEAD has not blown me away with a classic of the subgenre such as The Chainheart Machine, Slaughter of the Soul, or Burning Bridges, but they have provided me with an enjoyable release during a year when most of the other bands (e.g. THE CROWN, DIABOLICAL, RITUAL CARNAGE, SOILWORK, and the recently converted TAETRE) of their ilk have been boring me. CONSTRUCDEAD is not exploring uncharted musical territory by any means, but the band is catchier and more fun to listen to than most of their partners in crime in their current states.
The monster chorus and riffage on display in the track "Moral in Corrosion" are what piqued my interest in Repent. After hearing the mp3, I contacted the band, and they were kind enough to send me the CD for review. I say this both to recognize the band, and to let you know how I obtained the CD because I don't think Repent is readily available through many vendors. You can always contact their label, Cold Records, to see what they can do for you.
Several other tracks on Repent (the title track, "As Time Bleeds", and "My Undying Hate") come close in catchiness to "Moral in Corrosion", and are welcome additions to the disc. Unfortunately, these four songs are tracks 2 through 5 on Repent, and the remaining tunes on the CD are not as interesting to these ears. The rest of the songs are not bad by any means, but they don't really grab me like the others. Overall, the musical approach is quite consistent throughout Repent, but, in the latter half of the CD, the riffs are not as catchy, and the drumming can be somewhat monotonous at times a la CARNAL FORGE. Luckily, the last song, "Metamorphosia", is almost as enjoyable as my previously mentioned favorites. Since I tend to be pickier than the average metal fan, I imagine that many people would like the disc as a whole more than I do.
Despite its shortcomings, I recommend Repent to all fans of this style of metal. I encourage you to check them out on their homepage.
Editor's rating: 7.5
Contributed by John Frank
