The Condemned - Dismemberment - 2011

One of my favorite recent discoveries has to be Dismemberment, a death/thrash four-piece from right here in the heart of Ohio. I only recently became aware of the band due to their inclusion on the Immolation/Jungle Rot/Gigan bill and quickly fell in love with their The Condemned EP, most of which is available on their Reverbnation page. I happily reported a week ago that the band live more than delivered and am anxiously awaiting a full-length follow-up.

The Condemned is a fluff-free blackened assault that is far too good for its self-released underground status. A tiny record that overflows with vicious riffs and hooks, The Condemned is a lean, mean and merciless monster and, hopefully, just the distillation of what the band will offer in upcoming years. The leads blaze and there's nothing sloppy about the über-fast execution. If there's a negative criticism to be leveled at The Condemned it would be the production's representation of the rhythm section. In a live setting they shine and the recording here in no way does the heft of their contribution justice. Vocals are aggressive and the lyric, well-written but typical for the genre, discernible throughout. It's well-seated in old school aesthetics yet vibrant, progressive and positively brimming with potential.

With regard to individual tracks, there are no valleys on The Condemned. This debut hits it out of the park with nothing but high points, including an epic instrumental, "No Peace on Earth, No Rest in Hell." I know it approaches excess but would love to see the guys stretch this one out to two or three times its length live as they have built a complex, shifting, compelling foundation on record. Lead-off title track "The Condemned" would have to be my personal favorite followed closely by "Possessed" and "Cryptic Isolation." To top it all off, the cover kicks ass, too.

Metal fans: get on board now. Catch these guys live ASAfuckinP and grab The Condemned in its self-released form as I predict that, within a few years, this will be the bonus disc attached to a major label deluxe edition of what is bound to be an historical full-length debut. For those like me who missed the boat on Havok's Pwn 'Em All or Revocation's Empire of the Obscene, this is your chance to say "I heard that then..." right now.

Dismemberment will be appearing onstage November 11, 2011 with Mayhem at Peabody's in Cleveland and on November 16, 2011 with Death Angel at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio.

Check them out all over the web at:
www.facebook.com/DISMEMBERMENTohio
http://reverbnation.com/DISMEMBERMENT

http://twitter.com/_DISMEMBERMENT
http://youtube.com/DISMEMBERMENTohio
http://dismemberment.bandcamp.com