Extermination of Millions

Suffocation minus the existential dread and Decapitated meet in influence in this particularly riffy death metal release from Greece. Clearly the emphasis is on fluid musicality and a comprehensive use of the fret-board and there's little interest here in novelty. Rather this is reinventing the wheel and a rediscovery of the sound Suffocation had popularized throughout the 90's, that is hectic guitar work consisting of palm muted riff patterns punctuated by free notes on the tail, rapid hammer-on/pull-off action, darkly melodic tremolo picking aplenty, grim power chords and squealing harmonics. Frantic drumming, deep growls and the occasional soloed bass for one second are, of course, all aboard.

If there's one thing that couldn't be said about this album, it's that it's unsure what it's about. Ironically enough, despite the top notch and consistent death metal foray on display, it's probably that lack of an existential crisis that may very well be the issue. The album is only as consistently strong technically as it is predictable in that way. There's a real effort to make each song count, and the riffs genuinely efficient for every last one over the half an hour the listener will be investing.

But there's only so much the audience can retain from material that focuses so heavily on making music that is first and foremost malleable and action-packed. It's enjoyable the same way sugar is a treat one will savor as they're having it, but won't be an experience they'd call memorable after it's happened. There's all that work laid out for the listener, and it's certainly pleasant, but the components in music that usually make it striking are likely not included in this exhilarating ride. Saying this record lacks a soul might be harsh, but there's definitely something to that effect. The artists themselves would surely admit they weren't looking for anything outside the boundaries of a style they apparently revered and meant to pay homage to with 'Extermination of millions'. That album title itself and album cover don't convey originality in a style often content with top drawer execution, and less about depth in atmosphere.

Inveracity's second full-length 'Extermination of Millions' is the perfect example of improvement from a nearly sub-average debut. If 'Circle of Perversion' was IMO quite a weak release, with their second effort they show how far their technique and songwriting is growing, and I think they still have a great potential of improvement in the years to come.

These Greek dudes remind me of old Suffocation, before they went ultra technical (about Breeding-Pierced era), and some other European technical bands like Putridity, Hour of Penance, Benighted or even Sinister in their Hate-era (obviously a bit less technical than Inveracity). The guitar work here is really groundbreaking, the amazing guitarist Antonis plays very well-written complex riffs at a good pace mixed with a hint of melody. The songs are not ultra fast, yet they mostly keep a pretty fast tempo throughout the whole record; from a few heavy grooving sections to blasting brutal fast bursts. Drummer Vagelis is also memorable, having improved so much since their debut. His drumming style is now much more varied than before: his double bass is almost continuously blasting, keeping a perfect timing while he plays more varied drum patterns and fills, with plenty of different cymbals and crashes. I like the drum sound they got in this record, balanced, compact and brutal. Bass guitar seems to be overridden by guitars, but it's audible anyway, making the band's sound even more powerful and brutal. It grabs some attention by playing short complex solos at the beginning of a couple of songs, as it has become a landmark of the style. Vocalist George seems to me the epitome of the brutal death metal vocalist: low and deep like an ogre, nice guttural growls, but understandable though; his lyrics talk about submission and destruction of mankind, apocalypse and violent deaths, like tons of other death metal bands... Well, his lyrics aren't that original, but his voice is great!!

The only little flaw I really see in this superb full-length is its short duration. It's just 31 minutes long, which leaves the listener longing for more. What a pity they didn't include one or two more tracks... Anyway, and just like other milestones in death metal (such as Deicide's homonymous debut, Cryptopsy's 'None so Vile', or Infernal Torment's 'Man's True Nature'), it's long enough, so that it doesn't get boring and keeps the interest in the music itself.

So, do yourselves a favor and give this album a listen if you still haven't.

Holy shit a non-bestial death metal album out of Greece? And this is not Extreme Violence? And it’s good? You have got to be kidding me. But Inveracity are not kidding, they are busy laying down the guttural whoop ass.

This album is a milestone of improvement from ‘Circle Of Perversion’, which was a good enough album, just not that great. This, however, is that great. It has everything needed to satisfy fans of the brutal death genre, including drumming tighter than a 12 year olds cunt, blistering, well thought out guitar riffing, which actually plays riffs, not just fillers, and not just rhythm patterns on the top most down tuned string. There are actually shredding riffs in here! So they did manage to capture the essence of death metal, which as always is awesome riffing. The bass line is not that notable, although is audible. The vocals are also top of the average heap, but still belonging to said pile. The album is monumental in its achievement, the riffs flow together, and although it does not have a non-stop atmosphere, it is in fact pretty much non-stop. They might as well be called the Greek Suffocation, this album whoops that heavily. The technical aspect of this album is amazing, but the stamina aspect of it is just jaw dropping, being able, physically to play this album is quiet a feat, and I bet requires at least 4 hours of practice a day. When these guys get old, this will be one of those tings they will look back on and wonder ‘was that really us, holy shit’. Goddamn, this album rules. If any fault can be found it is that the songs are a bit short, but when you are pounding this hard, you cannot make the songs too long, for fear of slip ups, which are absolutely anathema to a band like this. So you should get this if you like death metal played tight

I have to admit before I listened to Extermination of Millions I had never heard any Inveracity before. I had heard they were good, if derivative, but I was completely turned off by the terrible cover art of their previous album. However with much encouragement from my friend Andy I decided to get their Unique Leader debut.

This is a superb CD. It has all the hallmarks of a (good) Unique Leader release: professional, well produced, well packaged and nice art. From the very beginning to the very end this album pulses with absolutely epic riffs that really feel heavy and brutal. Check out the beginning of Before the Uncreation, it's huge. The two bands that immediately come to mind while listening are Deeds of Flesh and Kronos. There is the alternation of melody and chugs that Deeds of Flesh use so effectively combined with the larger than life melodies that Kronos uses. This mixes to give us some fabulous and memorable riffs and songs. It makes you feel like you are one of the millions being fucking exterminated.

This is primarily riff oriented Brutal Death, but the drums, bass and vocals are all audible and well done. Vocals are not particularly guttural, just deep powerful roars. The bass is not terribly loud, but gets a few solos to add its input. Drums are what you'd expect but again, well produced and well done. Another things that I like is that the songs never overstay their welcome. Most are under 3 minutes, which allows the riffs to hit you and do maximum damage without getting tiresome.

Seriously, this is a fabulous album. If Infernal Revulsion hadn't released their album this year, Extermination of Millions may have been my number one Brutal Death release of 07. Either way it is a mandatory pickup.

Originally written for: Slam-Minded Blog

To me, at first anyway, Inveracity seemed to be one of those generic goregrind bands that had a lot of brutality but nothing that really grabbed attention. The songs on "Circle of Perversion" seemed to be the same as bands such as Goregasm, Severed Savior, Vomiotry etc. Simplistic riffing, blistering blast beats, and low gutteral vocals. That all changed when Inveracity landed a deal with extreme death metal outfit Unique Leader.

This brings us to Inveracity's 2007 Unique Leader debut, "Extermination of Millions" This album has shown major signs of maturity for this brutal death metal outfit hailing from Greece. The songs are much more well put together with some flashes of technical death metal found within these songs.

Now, don't get me wrong if you are looking for completely groundbreaking material it will not be found on this record. If you are looking for brutal death metal that you can get your head around then you should really seek this album out.

Extermination of Millions if anything shows a band that has loads of potential with the understanding that they need to grow. I would easily advise anyone who is looking to get their first taste of the brutal death metal style to definitely check out this record as it offers a good slab of brutal death metal that doesn't completely sound like every other band in the genre.