The Killing Plan

One way to gain respect in any industry is to name drop. One name which will earn you instant kudos in the heavy metal community is Eric Rutan. Metal heads may recall him playing guitar in the Death Metal outfit, Morbid Angel or fans may recognize the name from his now full-time DM behemoth, Hate Eternal. Willowtip recording artist, The Dying Light has the luxury of laying out his iconic name in the CD insert for their newest full-length “The Killing Plan.” This time Rutan is not growling into the microphone or tearing up his fingers on a fret board; instead, he is head of quality control as the producer.

Quality is surely a word suitable for the production on this release. All the levels are maintained at an equal balance. The drums are perhaps the loudest instrument, although loud drums are not necessarily a negative aspect of DM. There is a saying, “bands are only as good as their drummers.” Drummers set the beat, and metal drummers help make it sound brutal. The Dying Light’s drummer, Brandon Thomas sets the stage for complex grinding mayhem. The band mates of Thomas tightly follow his lead through abrupt stops and flowing speed riffs. Near the end of “The Killing Plan” Thomas takes advantage of a stoppage of riffage to blast off a volley of drum rolls. The fact that the rest of the band can follow him to a tee is definitely eye brow rising. The rhythms of Thomas and bassist Sean McCann during guitar solos is like Metallaca’s “Justice for All” in tone and tightness.

These rhythms are really only background noise, so guitarists Brandon Diaz and Joe Capizzi can dazzle ears with guitar wizardry. The back and forth guitar dueling recalls classic guitar solo combinations like Doug Cerrito and Terrance Hobbs of Suffocation fame or Jack Owen and Rob Barrett of Cannibal Corpse. The rhythm work of Diaz and Capizzi drive each song like an obsessed lover driving to his ex’s with gun in hand. “Jaws of Dis” features a rhythm powered by fast picking that ends in an ultra quick fret slide, only to pick up the same riff again in same manic fashion. This lick is one that will surely repeat in the listener’s head.

Florida Death Metal is a musical phenomenon that just won’t go away. It’s like a “Friday the 13th” movie: Jason may be missing half his limbs, but he is still pursuing some blonde bimbo in the mist of the forest. Florida DM may be wounded half the time, with classic bands quitting and returning, but it persists. With Erik Rutan producing The Dying Light, a veteran of the scene helps bring in new blood. Without new blood this scene will surely die. Look for The Dying Light to take the DM world by force. In order to do that, though, these Americans need to make a longer album next time. At just 26 minutes long, it’s a crime to leave hardcore DM fans salivating for more!