As the Weird Travel On

It is easy to forget how good Deceased are. They have never been a 'popular' metal band and are often neglected by aficionados too. They release their albums on an elongated schedule of about 3-5 years. This allows them to absorb as many influences as possible, before spitting them back out for a new conceptual creation. A record like "As the Weird Travel On" is a perfect example of a veteran band pacing themselves. This was released five years after "Supernatural Addiction", their artistic and commercial peak. This interim period saw the band part company with Relapse and record two and a half albums of cover songs. This must have allowed them to work through whatever feelings they had, keeping the band fresh and inspired.

Deceased retain their magic by revamping their sound. This record still sounds like Deceased and no-one else, but it is faster and thrashier than any of the band's previous albums. These eight songs take the ideas presented on "Behind the Mourner's Veil" to the next level. The Mercyful Fate and King Diamond influences are not as dominant as they once were. The guitarists now play fluid melodies reminiscent of Iron Maiden or Running Wild. There are more solos, better solos, and the riffs bounce and groove like never before (check out the riff before the solo on “A Visit from Dread” for example). This is a much ‘fuller’ record, a seamless blend of death metal, traditional heavy metal and thrash. The years spent documenting their influences by covering metal and punk songs has paid off.

There have been some personnel changes. King Fowley vacates the drum stool, presumably to concentrate on vocals and song-writing. He has also ceded keyboard duties to producer Kevin Gutierrez. Fowley's vocals benefit from all this. They sound deeper and more powerful. Perhaps he had more time to rehearse and improve technique. I still prefer his haunted, desperate vocals on the previous album, but his technique is superior here. The drumming duties are performed by Dave Castillo (R.I.P.). He had a similar subtle, powerful style to Fowley. I can see why the band chose him for the job. His kick-drums are too processed for my liking, but this was in vogue for metal productions of the mid-2000s (compared to nineties productions).

The increased emphasis on technical excellence and musical exuberance comes at a price. This album is less conceptual than either “Fearless Undead Machines” or “Supernatural Addiction”. Fowley retains the narrative lyrical approach, but the stories are given less prominence amidst the busy riffing and melody. Compare “The Kept”, a blistering opener that earns every second of its eight minute length, to the hypnotising repetition of “Elly’s Dementia” (a song of equal length from the previous album). Both are bonafide Deceased classics, but the contrast between them is stark. The first is a joyous and maximalist, the second is menacing and minimalist. This album has little of the George A. Romero or Edgar Allan Poe atmosphere. It is more of a 'triumphant' metal sound, the return of kings seizing the throne. This is best shown in the invigorating, intoxicating closer, "Fright". Still, nothing here sounds as dark as the band's previous two albums.

"As the Weird Travel On" is a remarkable album for a veteran band at this stage of their career. Deceased have side-stepped the past in order to achieve greatness. This is the best record the band could have possibly made in 2005. It might be the album that confirms the band's status as metal legends. This may not be as deep or as pure as “Fearless Undead Machines” or "Supernatural Addiction", but it doesn't need to be. I actually prefer this one to "Fearless Undead Machines" because it is more fun to listen to. It would be unfair to compare it with "Supernatural Addiction", which I revere as an absolute classic. The best testament to "As the Weird Travel On" is that it doesn’t disappoint, given such high expectations. This is a rousing and brilliant record.

For their 5th full-length (not counting Rotten to the Core of course) our favorite genre-hopping death thrashers decided to follow the formula that Supernatural Addiction has already established. The focus is still on thrash metal riffage and the atmosphere, same old, same old, but if it's not broken, why fix it?

The first thing that's worth mentioning is the addition of Dave Castillo behind the drums. Him replacing King shocked me a tiny bit, but it becomes obvious that he can do just as much as the head of the band. The sound of the aforementioned instrument is spot on just as usual. Throughout the entire record, the blast beats are pummeling your ears, but that's not all they have to offer. The previous records already had the drums tastefully complementing the other instruments, but on this record, they perfected it.

The band has always been heavily riff-driven and they stay true to themselves with this record too. The thrash and heavy metal riffs are complemented by King, but this time around his vocals have a certain raw and nasty feel to them instead of your basic death growls. This hardcore/grindcore-ish edge makes the songs rather contrasty with the melodic leaning guitar work. Apart from this, there are no real novelties. The earworm choruses are present on most songs, but my favorite would have to be A Visit from Dread. The song is building up the tension from the get-go with some aggressive riffage and mid-tempo, more melodic parts and by the time you get to the chorus you won't be able to sit straight. The rhythmic lines are followed up by one of the most haunting guitar solos (supported by the synth) I have heard in death/thrash. It's an understatement to say that this song has everything you need, but the other tracks have a lot to offer apart from the top class riffing too. Craving Illness starts with a little intro that could be best described as "post-apocalyptic mall music" before erupting into a vicious piece of art. The opening track has the most melodic riff on the record and the most crushing one is probably A Witness to Suspiria.

Overall this record is great, but there is not much to write about it. It feels like they played it safe (which is completely understandable) and they managed to pull off this great follow up record, but in the grand scheme of things, this isn't an album that I would choose over Supernatural Addiction for example.

The highlights of the album are A Visit from Dread, The Kept and A Witness to Suspiria.

This wouldn't be the first time a Deceased record has grown on me. While 1997's Fearless Undead Machines elicited positive thoughts on its first spin, that's an effort that I have continued to appreciate in increased capacity for almost two decades now. And lo, sandwiched between my two favorite albums to involve King Fowley, Surreal Overdose and Supernatural Addiction, lies another underrated gem of which I am also responsible for some degree of neglect, As the Weird Travel On, which faithfully carries forward the band's great legacy of entwining speed, heavy, and death metal aesthetics into a confident and consistent exhibition of cult horror worship that is as true to its musical sources as its literary and cinematic inspirations, while remaining completely underground with a 'cool factor' temperature that makes the flesh of the undead seem balmy by comparison. I brought up Fearless Undead Machines, because looking back retroactively at the Virginians' ouvre since that particular evolution is to behold one of the best streaks by an American metal band since the 80s...

Not to fault the first two Deceased full-lengths, which are both good as developmental milestones, but this is a style I can NEVER grow sick of, a seamless integration of the legit sounds I explored as a teenager, where the riffing and structure of various metal strains had become more complicated in terms of both aggression and melody. Not to say that they're 'technical' by any means. Their tracks tend to dwell around the 6-8 minute range, with substantial amounts of riffs and tempo shifts that are persistently catchy. Marginally predictable in some cases, but always leading to something that pops with your ears, like a great, shifting rhythm hook galloping away beneath a lead, or a very tasteful and sparse use of a keyboard to accent some gloomy moonlit vista that erupts from the frothing, shambling speed metal mob converging upon it. Mark Adams and Mike Smith are 'classically' trained axemen in that they have an encyclopedic knowledge of 80s A-, B- and C- tier heavy, power and speed metal, with a healthy dosing of the youthful fits of energy that thrash and crossover brought; but they play a lot of this stuff even faster, to a level of extremity that even some jaded Morbid Angel fan might appreciate.

The drums are perfect on this album, a cavalcade of firm, fiery hard rock rhythms that can easily burst into any intensified technique the hypertension of "A Witness to Suspiria" requires. As the Weird Travel On bears distinction because it's an album where King Fowley himself stepped away from that duty, bringing over Dave Castillo who was also working with his other project October 31, and the man simply doesn't cock it up. Les Snyder's bass lines don't always seem to strike out much terrain on their own, but they really round out the record with a great, audible tone which anchors the lightning that Adams and Smith have let off the leash in both the speed/thrash metal undercurrents and the spastic Maiden-esque leads and harmonies, which are yet another selling point of this album because, while conventional in approach, they are without exception memorable or at the very least perfectly fit to the tracks surrounding them. Deceased even manage to incorporate a bit of dissonant Voivod riffing on a track or two to help round out the record from sounding too straightforward, a trait they used on some of the earlier releases but hadn't reared its head so much on the two albums preceding this.

In sum, As the Weird Travel On is wall-to-wall, shoulder-to-shoulder metal bliss which doesn't age any more than the psychological and corporeal late-night horror cinema that inspires it. Narrative lyrics that describe their ghastly scenes and situations with perspectives both external and internal, melded to the polished but salacious melodic speed death which plays like no other band I can name. Sure, there is DNA planted here by anyone from Rigor Mortis to Iron Maiden, but Fowley and company retain so much of the medium's genuine pulse and translate into such a coherent picture without ever coming off as excessively studio-driven or as trendy as their Swedish counterparts had become by the early 00s. Asked a decade ago, I would have probably ranked this behind its two predecessors, but I have no choice now but say that this is every bit as good as Fearless Undead Machines, and nearly on the plane of its followup. It's also a little more energetic and high speed than either of those, another great salve for those souls needing soothing for their kitsch horror addictions or reminiscences of Halloweens lost, willing to take that injection in both the fight and flight of heavy fucking metal.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Open wounds the open gash let it all begin
Disease it dances on the grave and celebrates the end, the end!

Aspiration and innovation are potent traits that resonate deep within the depths of art of all kinds. Whether one might wield the pen as a poet, crash the cymbal as a musician, or even perform a structural survey as an architect, aspiration and innovation are dominant motivations that can potentially manifest into magnificent works of art. In this particular case, Deceased’s fifth full-length release, As the Weird Travel On (2005) stands on its own as a hallmark of modern, yet inspiring heavy metal. Carefully assorting influences pertinent to death, thrash, and traditional metal, Deceased constructs a monolith of contemporary heavy metal, while still retaining the traits that are desired of the countless architects of dissonance, to capture the “old school” sound of yesteryear’s glory. Thus said, one can wholeheartedly compare As the Weird Travel On to the architectural monument, Fallingwater (1934), which was diligently designed by the extravagant American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

In the year of 1934, Wright gave birth to one of the most memorable and aspiring designs of modern, American architecture, which is currently known as Fallingwater. At the time, Fallingwater was praised for its groundbreaking dynamics involving the integration of the nearby environment’s marvelous natural assets into the construction of a retreat that penetrated exterior and interior spaces to signify man’s harmony with nature. In fact, Wright designed Fallingwater so that it would hold ground on the active, ever-flowing waterfall which smoothly ran underneath the building. Therefore in comparison, the musical elements that are found throughout As the Weird Travel On, are very much similar to the elements that Wright introduced within Fallingwater. The plethora of guitar leads and harmonies act very much as the stream by which Fallingwater was built upon. At first, the listener is in awe at the sheer precision and melody that is inherent within Mike Smith’s and Mark Adam’s guitar techniques--just as the ever-curious spectator is marveled at the gracious sliver of water that flows underneath and about Wright’s architectural wonder. In addition, the leads and melodies that are heard, are comparable to the galloping stallions and prideful pounces that many classic outfits incorporated into their sound; such as Angel Witch, Iron Maiden, and even Satan (all of which being classified under the identifier of the “New Wave of British Heavy Metal” that was prominent throughout the late 1970s and well into the 1980s).

However, inspiring leads and motivating rhythms are not all that make-up Deceased’s guitar-work. Just as Fallingwater incorporates many of its domestic refinements with the nearby abundance of stone and granite, traits that are recognizable within the late 1980s death metal explosion are here and thriving. Guitar riffs that crush, mangle, and order the listener into stillborn obedience, and bass-lines that pounce in stealth as to how an infamous British killer stalked his victims are showcased among a varied surplus that never cease to leave the listener’s attention. Yet, despite the sheer myriad of aggression and assertion that many of these rhythms command, there are a few minor details that contribute to the depth of this musical endeavor--just as how Wright installed pristine glass windows and ornate granite decorations throughout the interior of Fallingwater to instill a traditional vibe within a very modern estate. Such a minor yet significant detail is that the guitar riffs and rhythms are executed in a style that was pioneered by the early-to-mid 1980s thrash metal outfits, such as Anthrax and Overkill. Therefore, the various guitar riffs, lines, and leads that are incorporated amongst Deceased’s As the Weird Travel On, captures the pride and power that numerous British bands became renowned for, while also conjuring forth the stygian blaze that several death metal outfits still strive for today.

Surprisingly so, the bass-lines that are inherent in this effort are well-pronounced and audible. The instrumentation of the bass guitar is quickly recognized and appreciated on its own, rather then being coupled together with the swarm of leads and lines of the guitar. The tone that the bass guitar emits compliments the obscure and malignant vibe of the music quite well. Imagine the tense, almost deafening fright that pedestrians held as they strode along the streets of Whitechapel, London during the weary hours of the night. Those few individuals were desperately clinging onto the purifying cloak of life, while the infamous “Jack the Ripper” stalked and trailed his unsuspecting victims, who were so certain that they would meet their ill-bred fate in a moment’s time. The vision that many folks held of “Jack the Ripper” during that fateful era is appropriately personified to the sound and style of Les Snyder’s playing of the bass guitar. Terrifying yet suspenseful are two adjectives that accurately illustrate Snyder’s approach to the bass guitar, and they are most definitely memorable identifiers. Henceforth, the techniques that introduce the bass-playing to the listener manage to embellish the already-established chills of corruption that this musical effort sends, which continues to contribute to the depth of detail that Deceased cleverly concealed in their efforts.

Alongside the haunting bass-lines and the menacing guitar rhythms, the bass-drum tauntingly trudges along, as well as the screeching, blistering howls of the cymbals. While the guitar and bass-notes that Deceased composed are of all excellent quality, the drumming techniques fail to keep up with the aforementioned excellence. Such can be compared to the structural problems that Wright encountered throughout the design and construction of Fallingwater. Such hindrances were a pronounced sagging of the concrete cantilevers, as well as an impatient rush throughout the construction process. These then-faults of Fallingwater are arguably similar mistakes that David Castillo left behind while drumming in the studio. For instance, while tone of the drum manages to compliment the spectral and spooky atmosphere that the record summons forth, the style that Castillo takes with him to the drum-kit is ailed with occasional moments of boredom, and an overall bland style of playing. However, these few faults do not hinder the listening experience as a whole. Rather, they simply keep Castillo from playing at the quality that his fellow band-mates grace the studio with. Castillo’s sub-par performance does not reduce the quality of the listening experience, instead it simply beckons the listener to take proper notice of the mistake, and to acknowledge it as a simple human error that many people unknowingly leave from to time to time. Yet, just as Fallingwater continues to receive constant conservational awareness pertaining to its internal stability and support, the general aura that Deceased emits throughout As the Weird Travel On continues to travel on towards excellence, even while carrying a few straggling comrades who were unfortunately left behind.

Just as one may quickly become discontent with bad weather on their once-in-a-lifetime excursion to the Fallingwater landmark, the sun soon begins to shine and all hope becomes restored. Kingsley “King” Fowley’s unique style of singing acts as the rising sun over a desolate land of dread. Fowley’s voice instantaneously commands the listener’s now-diverging attention, and then hurls them into a realm of fright, horror, and ever-shrouded mystery. That’s right, the lyrical content here deals with tales of torture, terror, and horror and Fowley certainly encapsulates the genuine strands of fright that these encounters would hold in the real world. Technique-wise, Fowley’s voice holds respect to the roars and rasps that categorized death metal as an individual sub-genre of heavy metal. Fowley is comparable to a leather-lunged lion roaring at an estranged passersby who found themselves trespassing upon his territory. Commanding and controlling is his tone, and Fowley emulates the lion’s roar in a near flawless fashion that potentially shocks the uneducated lot, while gracing the patient ears of the growing elect. Moreover, Fowley shrieks and screams in a select few tracks, which are reminiscent of the devastation that one may feel as the Plutonian airs roam about before one meets their untimely, but certain demise. Torturous shrieks and blood-curling feats are cognizant of Kingsley Fowley’s vocal approach amongst As the Weird Travel On, and in addition to strangling the listener with ghastly melodies and tumulus tales, Deceased’s fifth studio effort manages to bless the willing individual into receiving a listening experience that they will be able to recall ages later--similar to the aftermath of the previous family’s planned visit to Fallingwater; being noted as a trip that the family will remember with glee, and for the decades to come. Fowley’s vocal style, as well as the entire collective effort of Deceased allow this impact to be possible, and perhaps if there was an abundance or a shortage of any select musical trait then the entire composition might fall apart and wither away. The same can be said about Wright’s image of Fallingwater. If any particular material was implemented in a surplus or scarcity, then the entire structure would collapse into the underlying water and drift away into the merciless sea.

Therefore, Deceased’s As the Weird Travel On is a superb musical endeavor that will impress and challenge anyone who considers themselves enthusiasts of “old-school”, traditional heavy metal, while also catering to the ones who happen to enjoy the modern offerings that many bands are composing within the twenty-first century. Hence, Wright designed Fallingwater so that it would stand as an architectural monument that balanced a traditional, intimate sense of architectural style with a daring and ingenious approach to architecture that was unprecedented at the time. Simply said, Wright reached a reasonable compromise between traditionalism and modernism with the unveiling of Fallingwater, and Deceased have certainly constructed a musical hallmark that also calls forth a compromise between the classic, traditional, and certainly “old school” sound of yore, and the recent, modern, and polarized sound that many musicians take-up today. As the Weird Travel On stands on its own as a relatively modern, yet classic release of heavy metal that will be sure to transcend time and space, while marking its place as a heavy metal classic that will be praised and honored for the years to come.

[...]

Upon me now it's happened the terror clings to me
It's taken hold not letting go
Clinging always to my mind, living always in my mind
The road is there before me I'm heading into fear