Polarity

Decrepit Birth were one of the names to look out for following the release of their 2008 offering Diminishing Between Worlds. In 2010, they released Polarity through Nuclear Blast, continuing the acclaim they've established from the previous album. The album will be celebrating its tenth anniversary in July, so it's a good time to review this album. The sound on Polarity continues the technical death metal sound of its predecessor and adds more melodies to it.

Whereas Diminishing Between Worlds contained brutal death elements, Polarity sees Decrepit Birth experiment with melodic death metal elements. While the predecessor was tech death and had solos, Polarity has even more solos. The album's single, "The Resonance" feels surreal and abstract, which has a cool ending with a guitar solo layered with some keyboards. The title track is notable for its psychedelic vibes to it, which is most likely due to the fact that there are about six guitar solos on the song which is unusual for a 4 minute and 27 second song. The shortest non-instrumental song on Polarity, which is "The Quickening of Time" is also worth mentioning for its complexity and for being able to fit two guitar solos in a song that's under three minutes.

It amazes me how a band like Decrepit Birth is able to release Polarity, which contains mostly songs below the four minute mark and have as many guitar solos in it. As being said, Matt Sotelo and his neoclassical guitar style are easily the MVP on here. Bill Robinson, who's ~45 on this album is also no slouch since his death growls sound very aggressive and compliment the melodic style of tech death very well. KC Howard's versatility behind the drum kit is also one of the defining factors behind the success of Polarity. He is able to perform blast beats in a predominantly melodic album with no error. The complex musicianship on here is an example of why technical death metal is wrongfully hated by purists as there's more than meets the eye than just "wanky guitars and showing off". This is tech death done the way it should be.

Technical death metal is not what it is without musical technicality. Polarity is one of the defining albums in the new wave of technical death metal and arguably one of the best death metal albums of 2010. The Nuclear Blast signing naturally benefited Decrepit Birth as they expanded on the capabilities of using lead guitar. Whereas Quo Vadis had more melodeath in its sound, Polarity displayed more on the tech side of things as the abstract solos echoed those of prog bands like Rush, and even tech death pioneers Death. There's even a Death cover as a bonus track which displays the influence that the band had on Decrepit Birth. I've always listened to metal for the guitars and to me, not only can I air guitar to this, this is basically guitar heaven. As such, it very much so has the "goflotsam stamp of approval".

Although death metal now spans across the globe, it is still very much alive and well in its homeland, good ol' America. From California, one of the genre's pioneering US scenes (the other being Florida), Decrepit Birth have brought in the new millennium with a very impressive, technical approach to the style. This 'tech death' angle has picked up much momentum over the past decade. Generally, this style is becoming more and more distinct from the more traditionally aggressive sound of 'classic' death metal. With an often overbearing focus on complex, yet soundalike riffs, and blatantly mechanical production, tech death has rarely appealed to me outside of its classic context. That's where Decrepit Birth come in; although they indeed fall in line with the 'tech death' scene, the quality of their work here on 'Polarity' has me look past the weaker aspects, and take it for what it is. Suitable to my tastes it isn't, but 'Polarity' is one of the best modern tech death albums I've heard.

The guitar is the central aspect of almost all metal, but the presence and importance of the guitars in Decrepit Birth cannot be underestimated. For better or worse, the songwriting almost entirely revolves around the wizardry of guitarist Matt Sotelo. The other musicians are obviously audible, but there isn't a moment on 'Polarity' that goes by where there's any question what drives Decrepit Birth. Of course, the sound would be plain were it not for the drums. In this case, percussionist KC Howard is at the top of his game. He has a mastery of making the double kick sound intense and aggressive, although he covers some more subtle ground with the brilliant interlude track 'Solar Impulse'. However, the bass work on 'Polarity' is a tad difficult to hear when mixed in with the rest of the sound. Arguably the weakest aspect of Decrepit Birth's sound are the growled vocals. Contrary to what the "Concerned Christian Mothers Association Of America" may profess, there is plenty of potential for emotion in growls, and that's not something I am feeling here. Bill Robinson certainly has a presence with his low-register grunt, but there is virtually no range when it comes to his performance.

Decrepit Birth are almost certainly inspired by the band Death when it comes to the music they make, particularly that band's more technical and progressive material. The complexity of composition is executed proudly, and there is a general sense of musicianship to 'Polarity' that justifies Decrepit Birth attempting such a degree of activity within their music. Decrepit Birth may be a stronger act than many tech death bands I have heard, but they do not escape from many of the problems I have become used to within the style. Most notably, the band rarely sounds different from the legions of other tech death bands. They may execute this particular sound with a greater sense of intelligence than many, but 'uniqueness' is something that Decrepit Birth's music suffers from via absence. With that in mind, Decrepit Birth's 'Polarity' cannot get the full recommendation, but it is surely among the most successful albums I have heard within this narrow style.

Decrepit Birth's third album may not be a masterpiece, but is still very well done. If I were basing this review on technical merit alone, this would be an easy 95% or better due to the 200bpm or faster blast beats and the prevalence of sweep picking in Sotelo's admirable guitar playing, but the speed in which the instruments are played isn't the only thing that makes an album.

Featuring songwriting that is interesting both lyrically and musically, this album isn't just another 45 minutes of guitar noodling as some of the solos are very tasteful and wouldn't feel too out of place in a Dream Theater song.

This is also a very brutal album and though speed isn't everything, there are some rather breakneck moments, such as the beginning of "Metatron". Robinson's vocal performance is very good as well, bringing some brutal growls to the table, and I wouldn't have expected any less.

Though what about this album is bad? Well, sometimes the songs tend to blend together, which isn't that unusual in this genre. Songs like "A Brief Odyssey in Time" help prevent more blending than already exists. Also, though Robinson's vocal performance is good, he doesn't seem to be able to do anything else but growl and it would have been nice if he mixed that up a bit.

Overall, this is a very solid release and I would recommend it to anybody looking for their tech death fix.

Death metal is my favorite genre, but so far this year the genre has been underwhelming. Thanks for changing that, Decrepit Birth.

Polarity has everything that's great about the Necrophagist/Origin/Decapitated style of technical death metal--the brutality and shred-tastic goodness--but none of the negatives commonly associated with the genre. In other words, they've successfully married technicality with songcraft in a way few have managed before. The resulting album sounds like some Frankenstein creation stitched together from parts of Chuck Schuldiner and Muhammed Suiçmez.

The blastbeats and brutal riffs are there, and so are the death growls. The songs are complex and everything gets changed up often. But the guitar leads have that emotional quality of latter-day Death, and the songs sound like real songs, with a logical progression from one riff to the next instead of random parts thrown in a blender. The production is excellent as well. The only negative thing anyone could possibly say about it is that the vocals are one-dimensional. But when every single track could have worked as an instrumental, the vocals are just gravy, and they work just fine as an extra percussion instrument

Really, it's everything you could possibly want. An album this expertly constructed and emotionally impactful doesn't need much else said about it.

The Verdict: This is easily the best technical death metal album since 2008's Traced in Air, and may be even better than that incredible album. This is an instant classic.

originally written for http://fullmetalattorney.blogspot.com/

Having giant shoes to fill is never easy in any walk of life and so it has seemed in the case of attempting the fill the massive void left by the departure of Chuck Schuldiner, which has fallen much into the hands of Decrepit Birth as anyone else in recent years, largely thanks to their stirling 2008 effort "Diminishing Between Worlds". Obviously noone can totally make up for the untimely passing of the Death legend (he was a Metal God after all) but the technical flourishes found so prodigiously across "Diminishing..." and "Polarity" indicate this band of Californians are intent on furthering his legacy established on classics "Human" and "Symbolic".

Not so much as borrowing but blasting through the Death copybook "(A Departure Of The Sun) Ignite The Tesla Coil" starts gently enough before the triggered blast-orama that will occupy the next 38 minutes of your life kicks into action. A relentless barrage of tightly performed riffs, expertly interwoven together into what seems like senseless abandon at times, ferociously triggered drums annihilated to the high heavens and the gruff vocal work of Bill Robinson; an accurate description of "Resonance", "Polarity" and that which is most akin to Death on steroids, "Mirroring Dimensions". Ferocity well established, it is the sense of melody situated amongst all the super-polished hyper-technicality that sets Decrepit Birth above the likes of fellow serial blasters Hate Eternal and Origin in my opinion, lead guitarist Matt Sotelo clearly an ADD sufferer as he plants catchy tweaks at virtually every turn of his fingers. However not until after the completion of semi-interlude "A Brief Odyssey In Time" does "Polarity" begin to round some of the corners that defined "Diminishing..."'s devastating listenability as "Sea of Memories" and "Darkness Embrace" focus more on the feelings being laid out by Sotelo at the expense of the speed captured in the first half.

And herein lies part of the problem. Decrepit Birth are better than Hate Eternal but in comparison to Death, still a grand distance short. Drum speeds surely topping 200bpm may well be impressive at first glance and a target worthy of attainment for many skin-bashers but as has been proven by Schuldiner and co, not necessary to the creation of quality songs. Don't let the proficiency of all concerned here decide the songs within, on occasion feeling barely in control of their direction such is the speed it is hurtling towards it's conclusion, Decrepit Birth's radar for directing their skill into meaningful songs has gotten lost across moments of "Polarity", leaving a feeling that a lesson in instrumental virtuosity has been taught and not the lesson in death metal artistry I had been truly hoping for.

Originally written for www.Rockfreaks.net

Decrepit Birth‘s third studio album begins with a melodic guitar arrangement almost reminiscent of The Fucking Champs. The similarities, as you might expect, stop there. The band waste no time whipping out Schuldiner-esque riffs and guttural growls. The sound in general is still pretty much what you have grown to expect from Decrepit Birth––a modernized version of later Death material––but Polarity sees the band in their best form yet.

In contrast to other bands of the tech death genre, Decrepit Birth does not shoot for angularity. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. The riffs and melodies you find in their songs flow together seamlessly and, despite the high level of musical ability, never seem to get overly complex or too much for the human mind to handle. For those of you who only know their 2003 debut, …And Time Begins, things have changed quite a bit since then. No longer are they meddling with creating the heaviest sound possible. Polarity showcases a near-perfect blend of melody, brutality, and technicality.

Unfortunately, the sound can be a bit unoriginal at times. Whenever Sotelo plays a solo, I think to myself “is Chuck Schuldiner still alive?” On the plus side, Chuck’s axe-wielding abilities were most virtuosic and worthy of worship, but on the minus side, it brings little new to the table; I may as well go listen to The Sound of Perseverance. Decrepit Birth have yet to achieve Death‘s high quality, and I am not sure they can reach that level.

On its own merits, Polarity demonstrates just how good and––dare I say––listenable technical death metal can be. Where genre-mates like Necrophagist and Brain Drill stray as far from consonance in order to be as insane as possible, Decrepit Birth have realized how to harmonize opposites.

[find this review and more at http://www.mindovermetal.org/]

The U.S.A. is tightening that frayed noose around the neck of all things death metal. Out to reclaim our due throne, Decrepit Birth unleashes a monster of furious death metal in Polarity. This is eleven tracks of unadulterated brutality with such a fine point it’s almost too good to be real. Have I become that jaded and disillusioned?

With lead vocalist Bill Robinson and guitarist/vocalist Matt Sotelo the only two members that haven’t been through the revolving door of past members, the final product of Polarity is one of not only immense musical diligence but also of intense technical death metal. To overstate this is to risk repetitiveness; to understate it is criminal because in an endless river of crap bent on the typical death metal sound yet always falling short, these guys from California know their drills.

Coming off the equally impressive Diminishing Between Worlds just two years ago the band refreshes our memories by designing a virtual musical canvas of brutal efficiency fit for any fan of the all-too formulaic genre we love. Stagnancy and a derivative element are always par for the course with this movement, sure, but providing a true illumination above and beyond the predetermined scope is always a welcome surprise. “Mirroring Dimensions”, for example, changes its tempo so easily and so often that you can’t help but pay attention to the music herein. When you think you might hear Vital Remains you can just as quickly spot a Hate Eternal or a Vader riff that makes you start wrecking the room. Just the other day I bought a CD from another band that had the drums so sharp and high in the mix it sounded like a ticking time bomb in my car with each double bass blast, so when I hear some real production values attached to an already great album it warms my cold innards. The mix on this is really nice, always a plus.

Standouts are “Darkness Embrace”, “The Resonance”, and “Mirroring Dimensions”. I certainly enjoy the cerebral challenges of a good metal band, sadly so few and far between these days, but when you’re challenged on both a mental and emotional level to either pay attention or miss something memorable it marks the grand book with yet another solid band that offers more in the way of good music and less in a boring image or casual repetition. Polarity wins the coveted pay attention or turn in your metal card award for the week.

(Originally written for www.MetalPsalter.com)

Decrepit Birth wowed many in the death metal underground with the release of its 2008 album, Diminishing Between Worlds. Stylistically, the band showed major growth since its debut release, ...And Time Begins. The Santa Cruz outfit was beginning to truly separate itself from the death metal pack and developing a more distinct sound of its own.

Polarity, Decrepit Birth's third and newest release, shows the band continuing its growth even if the stylistic leap is not as big this time around. It seems that the band is trying to incorporate more "progressive" influences in an effort to evolve. Really, this just means that they are including acoustic guitar parts, occasionally prominent keyboards, and a couple of instrumental tracks to mix things up a bit. Acoustic guitars are pretty much shoehorned into "(A Departure of the Sun) Ignite the Tesla Coil" although they seem to fit the song much better after multiple listens. Synthesizers are used in a few places, most notably in "A Brief Odyssey of Time" where a strange bass synth riff makes a quick but obvious appearance. The album's two instrumentals actually add to Polarity's overall feel and certainly shouldn't be classified as filler. The first instrumental, "Sea of Memories" is full of blazing guitar shredding and has a slow part near the end that's as catchy as a cold. "Darkness Embrace," serves as a nice outro mood piece with keyboard and piano accents that help wind down the album.

In addition to the previously mentioned changes, Decrepit Birth has also reduced its suffocating, pounding hyper-brutality giving the songs more room to breathe on Polarity. Ringing chords and excellent dissonant arpeggios open up songs like "Metatron" and give the listener brief respite from the battering mayhem. Slow, rolling drums and suspended spider-finger chords serve a similar function in "Solar Impulse." Polarity's songs are also slightly toned-down in the technicality and speed departments in exchange for more immediately memorable tunes. This can be seen as a good or a bad thing depending on your perspective. Part of the band's catchiness is achieved by upping the Death influence on Polarity. Schuldiner and Co.'s memorable style is alive and well in several riffs in "The Resonance," "Mirroring Dimensions," and "A Brief Odyssey in Time." Decrepit Birth also utilizes simple melodic lead guitar hooks in "Metatron," "The Resonance," and "Symbiosis" helping make the songs hard to forget. These catchy characteristics coupled with the more "progressive" elements mentioned above give each of the songs their own personality. This makes it easier to distinguish the songs from one another than on past releases.

Despite all of the talk of catchiness and evolution, don't think that Decrepit Birth has changed too radically. The differences between Diminishing Between Worlds and Polarity are much more subtle than the drastic leap between the first two Decrepit Birth albums. Polarity's guitars are still heavy enough to give you a hernia, and there is enough gnarly sweep-picking to make you throw down your own guitar in disgust. Polarity is also chock-full of rapid-fire double bass drums which particularly impress in moments like the stop / start double-bass attack in "The Resonance." Also, the bass guitar on Polarity is surprisingly flashy despite the fact that it tends to fly under the radar when compared to the six-strings, and Bill Robinson continues to growl along with the din about all things celestial, ethereal, and mysterious.

While Polarity may not be quite as intense and heavy as Diminishing Between Worlds, it is still an awesome achievement nonetheless. Depending on your point of view, Diminishing Between Worlds may have a slight edge on Polarity, but Decrepit Birth really couldn't have taken the Diminishing sound much further. Polarity is the logical progression from the sound that Decrepit Birth began establishing with Diminishing Between Worlds. What it lacks in intensity, it makes up for with distinct, memorable songs. I'm looking forward to watching Decrepit Birth keep evolving over what I hope will be a long and impressive career.

Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com

Decrepit Birth are quite an exceptional band. In a genre over populated with mediocre mush, these guys not only stand out, but can now be considered as pioneers at their game. While their debut, And Time Begins, was a lesson in speed and brutality, their sophomore release Diminishing Between Worlds, the band carried themselves to a completely new level. That album set the bar so high on so many levels that many wondered how they would follow up on it. And now, it’s finally here, Polarity, in all it’s shredding glory.

So, how did they manage? Well, that basically comes down to what you were expecting. I don’t think that anyone out there is expecting Decrepit Birth to go back to their And Time Begins days anymore – there is simply no reason to do so. So what we have is basically a continuation of Diminishing Between Worlds. Intense, creative riffs, mind boggling guitar solos, excellent drumming, outstanding musicianship.

Though I hate to say it, but if compared to Diminishing Between Worlds, this album is somewhat of a let down. Not to say that the band doesn’t play their hearts out, it’s just more of a thing to do with arranging. For some reason, the album feels like it’s been rushed, though I can’t imagine why. So many great ideas, yet this time around, they haven’t been as masterfully blended as they were previously. The drumming, while played flawlessly, is not very creative, and at times can get repetitive. When I say repetitive however, I don’t mean it in the Disavowed sense of the word – it’s not just constant blast beats all over the place. It’s just somewhat of a step down from Diminishing Between Worlds.

Most of the guitar riffs are downright immense. Creative, jaw dropping riffing going on throughout most of the album. Metatron is a great example of Matt’s intense guitar playing (the break at 0:26 is fucking awesome) and so is Sea of Memories. Total bombardment of riffs and leads, all arranged perfectly and coherently. The Resonance sees the band showing it’s Death influences loud and proud, and it’s one of the most notable tracks on the album. A video for it was also filmed, which also turned out quite well.

Despite the inconsistencies on the album in regards to the arranging and the general flow of the songs, three tracks on here will absolutely blow your mind and make you forget about pretty much everything else. Symbiosis is the band in it’s finest shape and form, with what seems like millions of riffs and leads just execution to such a degree of perfection it’s frightening. The solo section in this track (1:59) is simply mind blowing. The progressions are superb, the dynamics are second to none, and the overall feel and execution is done so well that I can do nothing but nod my head in respect and admiration.

A Brief Odyssey in Time, despite being short, is one of the most important songs on the album. Did anyone else get reminded of The Terminator at 0:24? That synth bass just kills it. Totally unexpected and sounds downright badass.

And of course, the first track, (A Departure of the Sun) Ignite the Tesla Coil. As soon as the intro kicks in you know you’re in for a trip. Matt lets his creativity loose with an impeccable classical intro, before the band unleashes all hell with a sledge hammer of riffs and drum fills. Clocking it at over six minutes, this song pretty much has it all. Intense riffs, intense drums.. intense fucking everything.

The production on the album is nicely done. Everything can be heard loud and clear, which is simply essential to a band like Decrepit Birth. The bass drums, however, sound way too clicky for my likings, and the vocals are kind of buried in the wall of sound.

Speaking of vocals, I don’t know why some people are complaing about them. Bill does a fine job throughout, and he always has. Sure, he may not be the best out there, but no one ever said that he was or had to be. He does the job well, his voice fits the music, and his phrasing is spot on almost all the time. What’s the problem? And I thought I was picky, fucking hell..

While this album is a step in the right direction, overall it’s just not focused enough. However, there is still more than a good dose of extremely awesome metal moments, so it’s not to be missed.

Californians Decrepit Birth made an instant splash amidst the brutal tech death underground with their 2003 debut ...And Time Begins, but I didn't find myself falling for their mix of extremity and excess musical prowess until the the second album, Diminishing Between Worlds, which came out a half decade later in 2008. Like other bands from their coast Odious Mortem, Severed Savior, The Faceless, and Abysmal Torment, they're one of those 'whole package' deals: amazingly coherent and tight with their instruments, capable of writing damn near limitless volley of riffs, and brutal enough in the breakdown department to please the less demanding, violent element of death metal showgoers. Polarity sees the band expand upon their prior effort slightly, with a touch more musical aptitude and willingness to expand and incorporate extra classical and progressive influence to their compositions.

You won't hear a track go by on this record without some well-written, flurry of melodic scales and strokes that perks the ears directly to attention, and it is the balance of this ambition against the expected, double kick/blasted forays that ultimately makes it a success. The vocals are your typical, vomited gutturals, and I feel that at times they feel a little too one-track and uninspired when compared against the music itself, occasionally joined by a snarling companion, but it is a rare death metal band these days with a vocalist that can tear your entrails out and then step on them, so its best in many cases to play it 'safe', if you can call a grown man hammering you with orcish grunts 'safe'. The mix is professionally executed, with all notes available to the ear and a steady balance of instruments. Decrepit Birth put a lot of work into this record, and you'll be able to process every second of tension and release that the band thrives upon.

Polarity seems to me what be the natural extension of the Florida legends Death had they advanced into a more brutal framework instead of sputtering out with a weak and powerless effort like The Sound of Perseverance. You can hear Chuck's influence in a lot of the thin, crisp melodic riffing which takes the inspiration of a Death, Symbolic or Individual Thought Patterns to another level when set against the incredible, forceful precision of the drummer and rhythm guitars. Scales abound here, given just the right processed gleam to contribute an ever twisting distraction for the 38 minutes of the album. Often a keyboard will be used to further push the atmospheric envelope, and the band's brainy, cosmic lyrics match up very well with the almost scientific methodology of the performance. In this regards, they are very similar to the act Obscura, so fans of those Germans that haven't already boarded this interstellar train should step up, because now is the time.

The album moves consistently from the gently woven melodic patterns that christen "A Departure of the Sun (Ignite the Tesla Coil" to the grand sorrow that burdens the simpler chord and clean guitar selection of the instrument outro "Darkness Embrace", and the entire work is reined in under 40 minutes, with no composition becoming so indulgent or far out that you would ever become exhausted (assuming you enjoy this style). I found some rapture in the acrobatic bounce and kick of the title track "Polarity"; the thick hammering of the chugged rhythm guitars, harmonic spills and storm ascension of "The Quickening of Time"; the unswerving juggernaut of percussive picking and sweeps that realize "Symbiosis"; and the great melodies spitting through the eye of "The Resonance", gravity optional. However, there really is not a single track which will not offer some enticement, even the 1 minute hyper riffing prog-death barrage of "A Brief Odyssey in Time". It's remarkable how much Decrepit Birth can compact into a moment.

If you whine and cuss about all things modern in death metal, then let me state, Polarity is just not for you, nor is anything else by this band. Here, they skirt along the boundaries of what tech death is capable of, but I don't think they honestly escape the universal pull of familiarity all that much. The vocals are not quite excellent, but so few are in the modern death landscape, and as a percussive symbiont to the drumming, they suffice. What Decrepit Birth do best here is sculpt an engaging onslaught of music which leaves the gore and butchery of the genre far below, in terrestrial urban chaos, while this band escapes to seed and explore new worlds, as if they were a rocket ship of symphonic-minded, brutal ballast, a Stanley Kubrick sweeping his vision across the pulsing notes of the firmament.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com