Methods of Execution

I sometimes wonder what constitutes 'Brutal death metal' - I mean, death metal is a brutal genre per se. But then again, there can be little or no doubt that some bands are more brutal than others - and Brodequin must be, within the parameters of 'Death Metal', one of the most intensely brutal bands out there.

This cd is overwhelmingly fast - let's get that out of the way. We're talking (almost) non-stop blastbeats, we're talking raw, heavy guitars, we're talking deceptively simple extreme metal. But still: It does take a significant amount of talent to be playing this violently fast, to be playing this kind of dirty, muddy (in the best possible sense of the word) music, that, it must be noted, never gets uniform or boring.

I've already mentioned the drumming, which is absolutely furious. I can't, for the moment, thing of any other DM band with a similar level of of intensity drumwise. The guitars are no less grotesquely wild - heavy (and I mean heavy!) and enormously fast.

Vocals (if that is the right term) belong to the pig-squeal realm of e.g. Prostitute Disfigurement, Circle of Dead Children and other bands of their ilk. The lyrics (as is evidenced by the album's title) deal with authority-inflicted death, and they are not pleasant bedtime reading for the faint of heart.

So, in conclusion, while Death Metal is an innately 'brutal' genre of metal music, Brodequin up the ante and let loose upon the world a monster of brilliant, awe-inspiring, skullcrushing death metal that is guaranteed to please the discerning (extreme) metal afficionado. Buy this if you need (and who doesn't?) a good dose of truly brutal metal.

Brodequin, hailing from Tennessee, really know how to make their albums brutal and Methods of Execution is no exception. From the time when the first song hits you, the brutality will not stop, and it will drag you violently along with it.

The first noticeable thing about this album is the production. It is absolutely abysmal. It sounds like the demos from Devourment. It is very raw and grinding. Usually I would say that this is a negative, but for Brodequin it works. I’m not saying it helped the band’s sound, but the production doesn’t hurt them as much as it would some other bands.

Beneath the production are the instruments, which are all singularly focused on brutality. The vocals are of the guttural inhale variety and do not stray from this pattern anywhere on the album. The guitarist Mike Bailey (owner of Unmatched Brutality Records and brother of vocalist/bassist Jamie Bailey), puts out a wall of sound, but builds that wall with riffs. Although the guitars are pounding and brutal, riffs can be heard and enjoyed. The drums are comprised of skillfully played blastbeats and double bassing.

I have two complaints about this album. The first is that it is completely one-dimensional. In some ways I like this, but listening to this album too much can be exhausting. My second complaint is that the last “song” is really just seven minutes of echoey samples and doesn’t add anything to the album beyond pushing it past the half hour mark. I’d rather Brodequin either written one more song, or just left it at 25 minutes or so. Overall though this is a great brutal death metal album, which is recommended to those seeking the most brutal music they can find.

If you've heard Brodequin before, you know what to expect here. But what do you make of it? Many have said that Brodequin is boring. Many have said that they are monotonous and repetitive. I tell you these people are completely missing the point of this music. If you are attempting to listen to Brodequin in the same way that you listen to Death - Symbolic then you are not going to get anywhere with it.

With this release Brodequin have not strayed from the elements that have always defined them. The drums are faster than ever. In fact these have to be some of the fastest blast beats ever recorded. Jon Engman plays the kind of fluttery blast beats pioneered by Flo Mounier but makes them sound even more ridiculous. He's got a bit more variations in his beats than Brodequin's past drummer Chad Walls and I think he is a very positive addition to the band.

The guitar and the bass sound like one big choatic explosion of sound, due in part to the abrasive production. The riffs sound ugly and brutal as always and in some cases it's not always easy to hear what exactly the guitar is doing. You'll have to listen a few times before you'll be able to hum along with this stuff. I did notice that there are some pretty technical riffs used here and there throughout the album. This is definetly Brodequin's most technical album.

Jaimie is still emiting the sickening whine that we (brodequin fans) know and love. As always it is almost impossible to understand any of the lyrics, which are very interesting and well written. However for me, trying to figure out where he is saying which words is part of the fun. The vocals, one of the best parts of the band, is what makes this music so hypnotic. As somebody who has tried most styles of metal vocals, I can tell you that this type of inhaled vocals are some of the most physically draining that I have attempted.

The songwriting has come along way since Instruments of Torture as is best displayed in Verdrinken, which comes to an insane climax around 2:02. Other highlights for me include The Gridiron, Lingering Existence and Slaves to the Pyre. The album maintains a high level of intensity the whole way through.

Methods of Execution is just as good, if not better, than both of Brodequin's past albums. Listen to it at school or at the mall and watch as everything around you begins to seem all the more bizarre.