APPALLING - Inverted Realm
Redefining Darkness Records
Before I posted this review I contacted some local show promoters and shared this band's music with them. They're from Richmond, Virginia so if they plan on coming on a journey south, please book em. Yes Richmond, you can boast about a variety of bands leading the way in various metal genres. Now you have a great blackened death metal act. APPALLING are a five piece act that started out in 2015. They put out their self released debut full length Secrets of the Adept in 2017. I never heard it but I'm liking this one.
Now when it comes to the sub-genre of blackened death metal there's still plenty of room open in order to define it. Some bands use purely harsh screamed vocals or tremolo picked riffs as a rhythm mixed along side melodic death metal structures. Of course the Europeans, mainly the Swedes, dominate and have trademarked the genre. Here in the US we had our day back in the 90's when various burgeoning black metal acts still carried plenty of death metal brutality and musicianship. It set us apart from the Scandinavians.
APPALLING are in between all of that which I learned on my first listening to this. And just to be honest I believe they found a unique sound structure which they've tapped into. Each of the seven tracks on here stands on their own. In other words they're not mining a style and punching the repeat button. They can be rough and thrashy but will slow down to a death dirge and insert a damm good sharp solo. Other times it's straight up blackened death then they're move onto a structure more towards death metal or black metal swiftness along with some atmosphere thrown in for a break.
Vocal wise, imagine a sick demented and inebriated minister giving a sermon. It also is a perfect match for the style of music being created plus a touch of the theatrical as far as points where vocals should dominate and not. All in all APPALLING has something immensely important and that's a character all their own. It's subtle but undeniable. If you're into a DM shock to your senses then here you go.
http://www.redefiningdarkness.com/
https://appalling.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Appallingmusic
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