Desecresy [Finland]
The Doom Skeptron
2012
Full Length
Xtreem Music
Death Metal
I never really took notice in Desecresy until the recent surge of interest in old school Finnish death metal. Formed from the ashes of the equally excellent Slugathor, Desecresy continues their chaotic onslaught, with The Doom Skeptron being their second full length release.
And The Doom Skeptron hits the listener like a fucking juggernaut, making this album, this band sound like a worthy follow up to what Slugathor had created before. Sure, the influences from other classic Finnish legends such as Depravity and Convulse are rather clear, but the dark and suffocating atmosphere and trem-picked riffs with the crushing guitar tones are all rather reminiscent of bands like Incantation. In particular, the buildup on the intro of songs like Forged from Chaos easily remind one of bands like Witchrist and Ignivomous. Apart from the rhythmic section that help to emanate that sinister mood, the lead guitar lines of Tommi also help to reinforce that haunting overtone in the music, and while speed and flamboyance are not of particular importance here, the lead guitar lines easily send a chill down the listener’s back. These also often help to build the climax in the track, before allowing all hell to break loose on the listener.
The ominous growl of the bass also help in creating a fuller sound on the record, further intensifying the already crushing impact of The Doom Skeptron, especially on tracks like The Sceptre of Damnation, with the band displaying their doom influences in full glory. In fact, the bass lines are one of the more interesting things on the album, at times even providing an odd, contrasting sense of calm despite the tension that it provides to the songs, like on Vortex Unwinding.
The band’s chemistry is also evident, with the tightness that the duo display in the execution of their brand of crushing old school death metal, like on that percussive segment on songs like The Sleep of Titans. The Doom Skeptron often moves at an excruciatingly slow pace, and even with double bass pedals abound, the songs progress rather slowly, allowing for the full weight of Desecresy‘s art to sink into the listener, making short tracks like The Sceptre of Damnation feel like an eternity, let alone the album closer, the 7-minute The Solemn End.
For a deeply unsettling listening experience, Desecrsy‘s The Doom Skeptron is certainly recommended, being one that will please fans of classic Finnish old school death metal as well.
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