Electrocution [Italy]
Inside the Unreal
1993/2012 (Reissue)
Full Length
Contempo Records/GoreGoreCords (Reissue)
Death Metal
The early 90s was a good time for metal in general, with the rise of pioneering American death metal bands such as Death, Atheist and Obituary. Apart from the rising death metal genre in America, other regions were experiencing this growth at the same time, and Electrocution hails from Italy, with their debut (and sole) full length album, Inside the Unreal, originally released way back in 1993 as death metal has begun to go into its mature stages.
It is perhaps not surprising then that the style of death metal that Electrocution plays leans closely towards the more thrashy spectrum of the death metal genre, and right from the beginning the blistering speed that the band travels at one is immediately reminded of such acts as Death, as compared to the dark sound that Incantations prefer. The thrash metal influences are also clear in the guitars of Alex, where he unleashes insane and chaotic guitar solos in the veins of Slayer‘s Kerry King, apart from the urgent riffing patterns. The style of vocalist Mick are a savage, deep, throaty growl, helping to bring in the element of brutality in the band’s music, and all these are backed by the frantic drumming of Luca, punishing the kits relentlessly. The songwriting abilities of the band is constantly shown off throughout the album, with the band somehow managing to bring about some sense of order despite the whole commotion going on.
The band’s later material also lean towards a more technical/progressive style in the veins of Atheist, and Inside the Unreal contains some moments that see the technical side of the band rear its head. Rising of Infection, for instance, contains many sections that are reminiscent of Atheist, from the odd time signatures, the numerous tempo shifts on the track, to the complex riffs and soloing style of Alex on the track, though Electrocution‘s style is much smoother with fewer of those jarring moments. There are even times when Mick’s vocals somewhat bear a resemblance to Kelly Shaefer’s, further increasing that comparison to Atheist. One other thing that is notable is how the album manages to retain its old school feel despite the remastering that the album has gone through.
There are numerous excellent death metal acts alongside bands like Electrocution that have for some reason come and gone with just a single album and faded into obscurity. Fortunately then, there are still labels out there that help to ensure that excellent acts such as Electrocution, Death Strike and the likes remain fresh in fans’ memories through the numerous reissues of hard-to-find albums. Inside the Unreal is a true masterpiece and any fan of death metal will find himself unwittingly going back to it again with its old school charm.
Electrocution on the internet:
GoreGoreCords
©2012 Heavy Metal Tribune | Hong Rui