Date: 2019
Total Time: 52:34
Label: Self-Financed
DORYLUS is a genus of ants, found primarily in Africa, widely known for their painful and strong bite. In the metal community, it is a quartet from Hertfordshire, UK. In their 5 years of existence they have released 2 EPs and last year they took the big step and released their first, completely self-funded, full length album.
So, in “Without Sin” we find 10 compositions of furious melodic Death Metal, imbued with generous shots of Thrash Metal, as well as Metalcore. The result is a hybrid with fresh and pleasant sound that is not tedious and dull.
One can easily tell that these lads are musicians and they know what they are doing. Ripping guitars with razor-sharp riffs, a thunderous bass in low frequencies, while the drums unleash a bombarding barrage to the tender ears. The vocals are characterized by harsh growls and add perfectly to the auspicious bundle. The speeds in the songs alternate from mid and slow tempo to blastbeats and back again, while there is a great variety of rhythms and melodies in every track.
There are, without a doubt, a few points to which DORYLUS should turn their attention in the future. One of them is the CD’s cover. It depicts a monstrous insect, something between an ant, a spider, H.R. Giger’s “Alien” and Stan Winston’s “Predator”. It is an updated version of their “The Rapture” EP’s cover. Alas, no matter how hard I looked, I could not find the title of the album (“Without Sin”) depicted on the said illustration.
A second weak point is the production. For a “homebrewed” album, it is a remarkable effort. But it could really use the expertise of an experienced producer to make the songs sound as they should.
Concluding, DORYLUS is not the band that will rewrite music as we know it. However, they are perfectly conscious and have the love and will to do what they do. They are rough diamonds that could prove priceless in the hands of a big record company. I will surely keep an eye on them and I hope to have the opportunity to see them live soon!
Rating: 7/10
Editor: Theodoros Apergis
Related Link: Dorylus – Facebook Page
