Killer Each of You

A death metal album, recorded in year 2000 that doesn’t really resemble any known death metal bands? Then it surely must resemble something that has been done in other metal genres, or at least extreme hard music as such, right? Right, and wrong at the same time.

What we have here is an uniquie piece of music; crafted by a band, where half of the members weren’t that much into death metal and just mildly interested in metal at all, while the other half were true death metal fanatics. The outcome is something that is worth far more than you would imagine. You would think such combo would yield some half-assed attempt at being brutal while sounding nothing like that, incorporating out of place clean vocals, etc.

If you thought something along those lines, you are wrong. Very wrong, might I add.

There is no doubt that „Killer Each of You” is a metal album. Neither there has been any doubt about which subgenre it belongs in; clearly, there are growls, double bass druming, Immolation-like chord progressions – so it’s death metal! Simple as that. Uhmm, not quite. See, traits like I just described are all present here, but it doesn’t even require repeated in-depth listening to realize that this record is not really death metal. Or, to be more precise, it’s not a conventional death metal album. The riffs are awkward, the solos are dissonant, the bass is the most prominent instrumet, doing stuff from what usually bass players in such ungodly bands do, to Latin rythms and flamenco, and generally playing a key role in the big picture. The drummer isn’t any less freaky, in fact he loves to show that he has more to offer than death metal requires, but does it so tastefully that you hardly even notice that he’s not playing 4/4 doublebass beats all the time.

Now, that sounds like big mess, doesn’t it? The mess may be my writing style, but the music here is nicely stiched together by the guitar. Nothing too extraordinary per se, mostly the awkward and kind of ‘wrong’ riffing style exemplified by bands like Immolation, Demilich, early At the Gates and the likes; but the riffing is what pulls all this dementia together. The riffs arent really the backbone here, but the guitar complements the rhythm section in an effective way so that the songs don’t fall apart, and even the dissonant soloing can do no wrong, it sounds like a natural part of this all.

The only component here that really sounds like your average death metal stuff is the vocals. It seems to me that this might have something to do with the production, which I’ll address a bit later, but yeah, it’s mid-range growls and there’s not much more to add actually. Except that this growler has some dynamics and decent diction, which allows to decipher some of the lyrics quite well. Yes, the lyrics are also one of a kind. What death metal band writes lyrics about Olympic swimming, or eating hair, or drinking dead cow’s milk? And the background vocals – where they are present – are completely demented.

The production is also an interesting one. I certainly have not heard any extreme metal record sounding like this, but I mostly like what I hear. Seems that „Killer Each of You” was recorded in a studio that did not have often to do with the very heavy sounds of music. I don’t know for sure, but the sound on this album leads me to think this way, because the sound here, while being quite excellent in terms of clearness and liveliness, is quite far from what one would expect from death metal. But, as I said, this is not quite your typical death metal record, so it’s just natural that it does not sound like one as well. However, vocals sound somewhat flat, and the guitar could be a bit higher in the mix; but then again, the rhythm section sounds like playing right there in your room.

All in all, this album, while having some minor flaws, makes them up with it’s very peculiar brand of savagery. It is an ear candy for the adventurous listener; if you feel a shortage of schizo avant-garde death metal, this is a must. Highly recommended to listeners of death metal, grindcore, and non-classifiable stuff like the various Mike Patton projects. Recommended also for all you who don’t fit the previously mentioned criteria.

Stand-outs: Brother (mechanical), Olympiad, D.C.M., Seminal Salute, Betons

Simply put, this is one of the most original death metal albums I've ever heard. I have a hard time even pinpointing influences. Maybe a bit of Atheist or Meshuggah, maybe old Sentenced or Atrocity... I don't know. If any of these bands were influences, their input has been intergrated so well into Brute Chant's unique vision that they are no longer recognizable. The riffs are mid-paced for the most part (this might be my only criticism of the album; time changes are frequent, but the pacing lacks variety and almost always falls somewhere in the middle), and are very creative, with frequent avant-garde touches and probably a lot of jazz and prog-rock influence. Despite all the complexity, the band manages to keep the music very catchy and groovey, which is quite a feat. The vocals are mid-range growls, nothing too unique, but adequate, and the production is decent-- amazing for something recorded in Latvia, on what I imagine was a puny budget. The bass-player does things with his instrument that have never been seen before in metal. Sometimes he makes it sound like an entirely different instrument, like a zither or something. This is one of those rare death metal albums that gives as much attention to the bass as to the other instruments. The musicianship in general is outstanding. I've only heard two metal bands from Latvia-- Brute Chant and Neglected Fields-- and both are amazingly talented. I imagine the Latvian metal scene must be tiny, but if it's turning out bands of this caliber, it has something very special going on.