Dissection

In my beginnings through the metal journey I never thought there could be Christian death metal. When I listened to Mortification ‘Post Momentary Affliction’ I said: ‘it is impossible for that to be Christian, it is too heavy!’ Poor guy, I was so ignorant self. Later on I learned there was indeed a band for almost every music style around (nowadays even Christian pagan metal (?) but I am not close minded to not accept those). By the time I purchased ‘Dissection’ even the most satanic guys from the music shop couldn’t believe that was Christian when I took it to them. Yes my friends, Crimson Thorn play one of the most brutal and heavy Christian acts ever recorded.

Dissection deserves high praise being the second album from these grindcore skull crushers. This is not death metal to me. They play faster, more brutally and the voice is even deeper, much like early grindcore bands. The lyrics are 100% Christian focused and they present the message without any regrets, even relating them to some Bible passages.

Dissection surpasses Unearthed in sheer brutality. Almost all the songs are relentless, where only a few songs have mid tempo or even slow tempos here and there. But the guitar crunch, the slaying drumming, the ultra deep beyond-the-grave vocals (without effects according to them) and the hammering bass make this album a crushing piece and one of the heaviest ever recorded by Christian bands. If you don’t yet believe me, this is even heavier than Scrolls of the Megilloth by Mortification. Starting with the artwork with its alien-like cover, the band pictures and the layout you get the idea of something very blackened (not musically of course but not light either). But once the music begins it is an onslaught and massive ear destroying process. The speed and heaviness is hardly reached by any other more mainstream bands even Cannibal Corpse.

I will not detail on the songs since, and especially for this genre, I will have to go really deep into the songs to try to come up with deeper details. Enough to say that there is a lot of variety. Most of the songs are fast and really fast, brutal and I mean brutal, but there is even a black metal song ‘I ask’ which lasts for only 1:21min. And it is a Psalm. This song works amazingly to provide a different vibe. The song writing was penned very well. The song writing is smart enough to maintain the interest on the songs and the riffs are very ordered fashioned, which is one of the things I have problems with these bands since they are, sometimes, a wall of noise, a bullshit guttural screaming and a buzz that can really get to my nerves (Soilwork, Kataclysm anybody?). The voice is so deep that it is hard to understand what the guy is singing. Those who can pick up the words have definitely far advanced language skills since I cannot but when it comes to the lyrics they are strong enough and fit the music perfectly, like gloves. At the very end you will find a cover of Stryper’s ‘Loud and clear’. This band does sound LOUD (as far as the music goes) & CLEAR (as far as production goes). The cover is very well executed and it definitely upgrades the original version, just as much as Orgasmatron by Sepultura. At the very end, after 4min. of silence you will hear a rap-grind musical piece which sucks, and I do think grind bands tend to perform these jokes as part of experimentation and having fun around, but personally, I hate them.

I am not talking about influences or similar bands since I am not an expert on death/grind bands. From what I have read Unearthed is very similar to Suffocation ‘’Effigy..’ but again, I don’t have a comparison point for Dissection, although I can guarantee it is far more brutal, heavier, deeper and intelligent than Unearthed since I have all of their albums. If you want an annihilating peace of grindcore this is for you. Trust me when I say that the Unearthed days are over, this album will dissect your soul, piece by piece.