Year: 2022
Total Time: 38.19
Label: Emanzipation Records
Good morning class History lesson for today. Remember the band INVOCATOR? I see very few hands, something is moving on. How about MACERATION? No one? President Alex, put your hand down, you’ve got it. Dan Swano? Who didn’t raise their hand? Mandatory study of Scandinavian Death Metal, let alone Progressive and in a week review. Normally I wouldn’t have to mention Dan Swano for you to read this review too, but due to the need to draw your attention a little I used the hidden paper just in case.
So I hasten to mention that MACERATION was a project of members of the Danish Death Metallers INVOCATOR, they released “A Serenade Of Agony” in 1990 with Dan Swano on vocals (using the same pseudonym as PAN.THY.MONIUM and DARCSIDE), they fell into oblivion for some 30 years and re-emerged not long ago for the release of ‘It Never Ends’. After the short introduction with the piano and the nightmarish atmosphere, “Lost In Depravity” “pops”, a very interesting mix of old-fashioned Swedish and Florida mostly Death Metal that will determine how the record will flow until the end. Razor-sharp guitars, galloping drums, solid, massive bass and the screams of Dan Swano who seems like not a day has passed since the last time he did growl vocals which are surprisingly easy to digest and easy to listen to.
On “Epiphany Of The Past”, the first single of the record, the great DEATH are scattered at key strategic points, the guitars circle, the guitar solos are there to spread the horror and the drums fire like an automatic 50-gauge machine gun and the references to the BOLT THROWER complete with the special recitation of the lyrics. (Although Dan is not seen singing in the videoclip). Old fashioned Swedish made Death Metal will be heard in ‘Arcane Secrets’, melodies in ‘Tender Twigs Of Innocence’ and dark black metal almost elements in ‘Engulfed In Agony’ to close with ‘Monolith Of The Cursed’, take some breaths and again the finger on repeat.
Lovers of clean, unadulterated, warlike, raw Death Metal that treads on the one hand in Florida and on the other in the Scandinavian Peninsula will be ecstatic with “It Never Ends”, let the younger ones bend down to hear better why it was made giant Death Metal in the 90s. MACERATION sound fresh even if they are old-fashioned and this is helped by the mix-production undertaken by – who else could – Dan Swano himself at his (and our) favorite Unisound with the clarity of the instruments but also the necessary mud and dirt where it should, with the duration of the record being ideally a little over half an hour, this lends itself to repeated and repeated listenings.
Rating: 7/10
Editor: Dimos Karadimos
Related Link: MACERATION-Facebook Page
