Now, if I mention that Decadence are a “female fronted metal” band then I might possibly deter one or two possible readers from giving them a listen, and may even confound one or two as well. I say that, as such an indolent terminology often conjures up the illusion of one that’s heavily symphonic and lead by a haughty soprano adorned with flowing gowns more suited to the opera, and with that air that tells you she wouldn’t be caught dead in some sweaty mosh pit where she may break a nail or get beer spilled down her new frock. Well play on and those illusions will be shattered so fast that your head will spin. Front lady Metallic Kitty is more likely to shred your face off with her abrasive growls than greet you with a sweet song on a Sunday morning, and makes no apologies for doing so either.
Of course, this is nothing new, and I’m quite sure the Angela Gossow comparisons will come thick and fast (she’s a girl and she growls, duh), so I’ll avoid stating the goddamned obvious here and tread around such a statement by pointing out that while this does bear more than it’s share of similarities to Arch Enemy, that shouldn’t detract from the fact that they are actually good at what they are doing.
These eight tracks take a straight swipe for the throat with a bombardment of fast, frenetic drum work while the thrashing riffs carry a steady, leaden weight, leaving just enough room for a layer of scything leads that lean firmly into melodeath terrain. There are more than a couple of examples littered across the album, of how these guys are influenced by the Bay Area sound, with a classic thrash pulse pumping it’s way through the mix, although it is delivered in a less plagiaristic was as many of their contemporaries who appeared alongside them on the ‘Thrashing Like A Maniac’ compilation back in January. This contains much more brutality, and the shredding on ‘3rd Stage Of Decay’ has me thinking again that there is an incredibly Swedish feel to their delivery. This track has the kind of melody that seeks to draw you in, as the elements all coalesce into a technical mix that nevertheless has a straightforward delivery.
By the time we get to ‘Theatre Of The Absurd’ the diversity of Kitty’s voice becomes more clear, as she emits a heavy rasp that brings to mind Mille Petrozza, while interspersing these with more deathly growls. ‘Sculpture’ is perhaps the strongest track, as the intro steadily draws you in to a monstrous rhythm that cruises along a straight road before going full throttle before hammering on the breaks and slowing it all back down again. Eventually this leads us towards some guitar playing that carries a definite Amottian feel to it, and to me sounds reminiscent of something off Heartwork. There’s a certain melodic groove in the fluid guitar lick, and Kitty’s vocals sound truly ferocious.
At 35 minutes, this is a short and sweet blast of metal that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome while just being enough to satisfy the appetite, leaving just a little room for a desert. It’s a commendable record that will make you want to bang your head, and is a solid example of modern thrash metal.
http://www.myspace.com/decadenceswe
http://www.massacre-records.com
