 Dismember Participators in the formulation of Swedish death metal of the late1980s/early 1990s, Dismember exemplify each individual aspect that made their region’s interpretation of the genre unique and powerful. The defining course of attack is a devastation articulated through passages that dissipate into ominous grooves, seething into crosscurrent motion towards a revelation ultimate and dreadful. Much like their fellow countrymen, Dismember display a clever and highly effective employment of speed that enhances intensity rather than defines whole songs, creating a dynamic presence of sound that distinguished the Swedes in the death metal arena from the rest of the world. But most essential of all is the portrayal of dark melody flowing through savage rhythms, generating a peculiar atmosphere of tranquil iniquity. "Show me Songs are simplistic in design, powered by relentless rhythms and stygian riffs racing towards an irreverent terminus of horrific visions. Guitars like buzz-saws in the Sunlight Studio tradition possess movements like frenzied demons, at times isolated to introduce an approaching theme as if to summon new legions of evil spirits. There is a haunting ambience in this music that whispers secrets of oncoming bloodshed, lurking behind and within every phrase. Primal ferocity fuels these compositions, racing along in a murderous rampage, only relenting to slower movements as to formulate dreams of torment painted in the blue glow of lost serenity. Vocals are frustrated and hateful screams; inhuman screams cursed with hellish anguish of a thousand souls. Guitar solos, like most others Swedish death bands, supply a beautiful melodic darkness to the brutality of attack, flowing in streams of sparkling clarity that reflects the purity of life-release from centuries of untold misery. Like an ever flowing stream, indeed. "The process of death is our
fate to be Excellence of death metal architecture is achieved in "Override Of The Overture" and "In Death’s Sleep". These two tracks are expertly constructed epics, designed with a remarkable understanding of dynamic and transition within the death metal form. Yet even beyond this, the balance of searing anger and cleansing melody is astounding, particularly in the latter, which shifts from menacing phrases of face-ripping aggression to slower passages of sleepless dreams lost in the longing for tranquility. This quality is emphasized again in the brilliant "Dismembered", which opens with a streaming solo of flowing beauty that gives no hint of the blast of ferociousness soon to follow. These are examples of death metal reaching beyond its limits towards an abstract realm of the ultimate truth of life’s suffering. When Dismember are not reaching for such heights and simply aim to tear flesh from bones, there is "Bleed For Me" and "Skin Her Alive", two cutthroat death metal songs drunk with the blood of countless unfortunates, and yet thirsty for fucking more! Rare is the death metal album that can transport the listener from a mundane, ordinary state of mind to the realm of immortal dreams, where can be found a purity of darkness that washes away the illusions of our time to reveal a pathway towards a universal mystery of our condition as human beings. Like An Ever Flowing Stream is such an album. The nature of the balance of melody and brutality is extraordinary in conjunction with the simplicity of structure and execution, and within it swirls the true essence of death metal, obscured and formless, yet manifest throughout the known world. The modern flock of death metal bands, and indeed Dismember themselves, would do well to pay closer attention to what this work is. The definition of individual songs through powerful dynamics and seamless transitions establishes a snapshot of experience embodied in the message, and the mood of the music, borne of unyielding emotion and determination of purpose, along with a knowledge of composition, works to bring to life an experience of musical art that stands divine in the history of the genre. Not only does it sound like death metal, but it feels like death metal. It is about songs and feeling, and without these two components no amount of technical ability or "professional" presentation can save a work from the void of emptiness. Like An Ever Flowing Stream is one of the few examples of visionary death metal genius in existence because it was skillfully created with this purpose: to reflect the universal suffering and torment of life and the longing for release in tranquillity which can only come in eternal form through death. "As I become one with the
Earth 12/10/06 Tracklisting: 1. Override of the Overture Dismember What Dismember gain in the way of technical ability and production value, they lose in the compositional vision and transcendental atmosphere that was a defining factor of their brilliant debut. Dismember, and indeed Swedish death metal in general, reaches an apex of expression unique unto itself and fascinating in its atmospheric range when a balance between flowing melody and malevolent ferocity is established in conjunction with a feel for dark grooves complimented by intensity-enhancing speed. This band’s first effort, Like An Ever Flowing Stream, is one of the finest examples of this formula ever to be realized, and like most bands who are faced with having to follow up such a masterful work, Dismember fall short of the mark on second album, Indecent And Obscene. "I am one with infinity At times throughout this work, wether in individual songs in their entirety or in particular moments of other tracks, Dismember offer material of a high degree, exercising structural skill and splendid equilibrium of melody and brutality. The clearest example of this can be discovered in "Souldevourer", one of this band’s most underrated tracks. The verse sections of the song’s opening theme that follow the introduction are excellent, as Karki’s ferocious vocals contrast the translucent ambience of the guitars perfectly. Though the song never returns to this outstanding theme, the remainder is carried by a shared vision manifesting itself in various shades of expression. Other tracks that compare are "Sorrowfilled", "Reborn In Blasphemy" and a death metal "ballad" of sorts, "Dreaming In Red", which portrays this band’s talent for the epic within their chosen genre. There are standout riffs to be found scattered throughout "Fleshless", "Skinfather" and "9th Circle", but these are offset negatively by awkward riffs, clumsy transitions, and lack of clarity towards song-structure. The remaining two tracks, "Case # Obscene" and "Eviscerated (Bitch)", are simply unnecessary, as they race along with no trace of direction or purpose, and the album would have benefitted from their exclusion. Indecent And Obscene suffers from the lack of a unified whole towards a reflection of experience, something their first effort mastered in beautiful function. Inconsistency of compositional vision, loss of focus as to what makes their approach effective, and a few cumbersome arrangements and riffs injure the overall impact of this album. The instrumentation and sound presentation have been advanced, yet this means nothing if the essence of the work as a whole fails to deliver lasting impact. A few strong compositions are not enough to overcome the mediocrity that stains the rest of the disc, and thus Indecent And Obscene leaves the honest listener less than fulfilled. 12/13/06 Tracklisting: 1. Fleshless Purchase Dismember's Indecent And Obscene Dismember Suffering from lack of direction and self-consciousness, Dismember’s third album, Massive Killing Capacity stands as this band’s weakest work in the whole of their discography. Further damaged by an impotent production, the album often becomes mired in apathetic execution, inconsistent quality levels between tracks, and a peculiar confusion as to what direction to take their sound at this stage of the band’s career. As a result, the work as whole lacks character, presence, cohesiveness, and any significant degree of purpose for its creation. As with this disc’s predecessor, there are a few standout songs/moments. "On Frozen Fields" is far and away the strongest composition here, featuring an opening riff that is nothing short of Swedish death metal divinity. Dismember are aware of this, and define the song by only slightly altering this riff throughout, which provides it with an emphatic character. It is the quintessential Swedish death metal song. The only other track that comes close is "Life-Another Shape Of Sorrow", which introduces itself by a slow, doom-ish theme complete with church organs appropriate for the song’s lyrical theme, before launching into a fast-paced Swedish death metal attack. The only other songs on this effort worth any real interest are the groovy and melodic "To The Bone" and the Iron Maiden influenced "Collection By Blood", which is modeled on the tradition of NWOBHM song-writing, yet works well enough as a melodic heavy/death metal tune. "I Saw Them Die" and the title track have their potential sapped by indifferent execution and flawed transitions. The rest of the songs range from the mediocre to the awful. Dreadful attempts at "death n’ roll" in the form of "Casket Garden" and "Crime Divine" see Dismember at their most confused and weakest, while the very unmelodic and inessential "Wardead" and hollowness of "Hallucigenia" bring this album to an even lower level. The instrumental "Nenia" is of some interest, as it is clearly inspired by Metallica’s classic "Orion", even down to the isolated bass guitar moment with subtle guitar ambience to introduce the track’s final movement. Of course, it can never even dream of reaching the heights of that Metallica moment of glory, though it is slightly interesting to hear Dismember in the instrumental, as their music is given a chance to explore with a bit more flexibility than is typically the case. "Black is all I see At this point, Dismember have unfortunately become resigned to the common ways of making music. The hunger and purpose of their early material has faded, and now they make music simply because it is what they do. A few moments of quality stand out to remind us of what they once were, but the clumsy, clunky, slow, pointless, and powerless material that defines most of this album indicate where this band are headed from here. Nowhere. 12/13/06 Tracklisting: 1. I Saw Them Die Dismember Dismember refocus their approach on this EP, intent on returning to their original form in the shape of savage and melodic death metal. The material here is certainly of a faster and more aggressive nature than the previous album and career low-point, Massive Killing Capacity. Even an Autopsy cover has been included ("Pagan Saviour") to further drive the point home that the band are back to the untarnished death metal of their early days. However, though this music is no doubt of a hateful and angry nature, and indeed finds the band sounding re-energized and inspired, there is an unignorable emptiness at its core that condemns this disc to the realm of indifference. There is a self-consciousness in the delivery of this material that is nonexistent in the band’s early work, which can no doubt be attributed to a concern for how they are perceived and living up to what they understand is expected of them, which has unfortunately taken precedence over purpose-driven expression. 12/14/06 Tracklisting: 1. Misanthropic Dismember Surface presentation has taken control as Dismember have resorted to creating music in the manner they perceive as being an expectation of them. It looks like Dismember, it sounds like Dismember, but what this band was able to achieve through transcendental beauty on Like An Ever Flowing Stream is nowhere to be discovered here. The presentation of aggression has become more important than the meaning behind the expression, and songs are hollow at their core as a result. The entire album races along in a blur of sound, with nothing rising above to distinguish itself. Nor is anything obviously poor in mechanical quality. After two inconsistent efforts, Dismember have found a consistency of quality on this album, yet the quality level of the material when taking into consideration its entirety is only of a slightly better than average nature, just a pinch above mediocrity. It’s just enough to keep the attention of dishonest or uninformed listeners, who will no doubt find something appealing in the presentation of aggressive emotion. But, a presentation without meaning is like a hollow shell; for those who can penetrate the surface, there awaits nothing but emptiness. "Upon the loss of a better
fate Structurally, though the mood of the music is savage and relentless, these songs are restrained by a deficiency in artistic courage and bravery. It is as if they are designing this music to gain the acceptance of the largest number of listeners within the audience of their genre, or to perhaps appeal to anyone who simply likes fast and raging music. Even the band’s capacity for melodic excellence is watered down on this disc, appearing as if by novelty or token, suggesting a confirmation that, yes, you are indeed listening to a Dismember disc. Everything is in the right place, and all the appropriate moves are made. Nothing is "bad", yet nothing is great. The album is forgotten as soon as it has reached its duration. Dismember are playing not to lose, rather than to win. Yes, it is called Death Metal, and no doubt that is what this music is. But outside of instigating a kind of hopeful excitement or rousing the affirmations of boneheads, such a title cannot in itself promise, or even substantially indicate, a true and meaningful delivery. It’s the same sort of thing seen in politics. A banner is held high to sway the emotions of some segment of the population, but how often it is only paid lip-service, or falls into obscurity once the election has been won. Dismember wins your vote if you purchase Death Metal, but in the end, the only cause your vote furthers is the continuation and tolerance of hollow art. 12/14/06 Tracklisting: 1. Of Fire Purchase Dismember's Death Metal Dismember Around the time of this release, Dismember vocalist Matti Karki remarked in interview that what distinguishes the modern crop of mechanized and soulless death metal bands from the bands of the 1980s and early 1990s is that the earlier bands were driven to creation by the feeling of pure hatred in their hearts, a motivation that today’s death metal lacks in favor of technical mastery. While he certainly has a point with such a statement, the comparison would have needed to be extended to his own band’s current condition to achieve stronger accuracy, as Dismember’s redundancy continues with fifth album Hate Campaign. Less a blur of sound as was Death Metal, Hate Campaign offers more in the way of dynamics in tempo and structure, and a production that is far more balanced and equalized between instruments, providing a clarity of sound that has been missing from their presentation. Yet, these mechanical advancements cannot save the work as a whole from the void of emptiness, which is the fate of all soulless creation, no matter how it is dressed up to obscure its inner vacancy. The band’s sound has fallen into that woeful category of easy-listening death metal, a realm inhabited by many a Swedish metal band. The violence of the music is subdued to a point that allows the band to still sound aggressive, yet, despite some potent lyrical observations, this does not carry over into arousing emotions within the listener. The feral energy and spectral melody of old has been reduced to base portrayal of anger and pleasant, listener-friendly, yet non-transcendental melodies that function more like pretty wallpaper in a staged murder scene. There is no real feeling, just a surface level appeal that can only serve to convince the less discernable listener that this is indeed music of pure anger and hatred motivated to creation in art with a sense of purpose. It has no purpose beyond further confirming that Dismember will never ascend to the excellent heights of their first album. "Look at the world today Dismember have lost their passion. For sure, this material is competently performed and mechanically sound, but again, this means nothing if there is no value under the surface. The band simply come across flat and uninspired on this effort, as if they have lost any meaning for creating music beyond the continuation of what they have always done, as it is what has come to define their lives. Lost in the quagmire of audience expectation, they have lost sight of their original intention, resulting in a string of albums that have been plagued by inconsistency and emotional emptiness. How anyone, in the mood for Dismember or Swedish death in general, can willingly choose to waste time on an album like this when the same band constructed a masterpiece in the shape of Like An Ever Flowing Stream is beyond me. Hate Campaign is nothing more than a step closer to the finale of what has been a painfully slow death of a career that began with so much promise in the creation of one of death metal’s finest achievements. 12/16/06 Tracklisting: 1. Suicidal Revelations Purchase Dismember's Hate Campaign Dismember Discography: Dismembered demo (1988)
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