Intercepting Fist

When three-fifths of the original Ripping Corpse line up reunited to release 1999’s ‘Enter The Dragon’, the journalistic community responded in a curious manner. Their reviews were generally favorable, but it seemed that Dim Mak were repeatedly slapped with the “metalcore” label. Such classification isn’t necessarily wrong, but those writers who were content to ignore that album’s myriad thrash underpinnings were guilty of deception. Dim Mak had certainly not abandoned their roots, and this fine tradition continues today with the release of ‘Intercepting Fist’.

Perhaps I should be a little less critical of the band’s past reviewers, as many elements that define metalcore were derived from the 80’s thrash scene. Breakdowns, technical riffs, and even blast beats were introduced via thrash, although most of these devices were originally borrowed (or evolved from) hardcore. But consider that the past decade has seen a huge influx of so-called metalcore bands who are overwhelmingly influenced by the first three Slayer albums. It would seem that the term "thrash" is key to describing their sound, but less-informed reviewers are all too willing to slap them with the "metalcore" tag.

But all of this seems kind of ironic when you consider that over half of Dim Mak's line up (while operating under the Ripping Corpse moniker) played a part in creating the thrash scene. They may not have garnered as much attention as their west coast peers, but this was probably more a function of geography than of innovation. Furthermore, their tendency toward technical overkill put Ripping Corpse on a pedestal that few could touch. While most of the world outside of New Jersey was blissfully unaware of their presence, Ripping Corspe was churning out warped tunes that (along with Revenant) inspired an entire generation of bands to ditch subtlety in favor of over-the-top extremity.

With that in mind, let it be known that remnants of Dim Mak’s past are somewhat sparse on 'Intercepting Fist'. There are a few flashes on tracks such as “Tai Pan Snake Venom” and “Phoenix Eye Fist”, both of which sport appropriately thrashy riffs and sweeping solos from guitarist Shaune Kelley. Some more evidence rears its ugly head on “Interceptor”, “Climbing Knife Mountain”, and “Essence Of The Northern Fists”, but that's pretty much where it ends.

Common comparisons are difficult to draw, but those unfamiliar with Dim Mak’s past exploits might find it helpful to imagine Nasty Savage getting together with Exodus for a musical gang-bang, with Roger Miret of Agnostic Front providing color commentary. The riffing is fast and often unpredictable, while the soloing is more subdued, and even moody in spots. Vocalist Scott Ruth tops everything off with his usual caustic shouts, which are somewhat monotonous, but not annoyingly so.

As for lyrics and imagery, Dim Mak’s are expectedly based on a martial arts theme. This might seem silly or cartoonish to some, but the subject matter is well-researched and expressed in a unique manner. In fact, I’m amazed that the band didn’t resort to using dialogue samples from cheesy 70’s Kung Fu flicks to fill the space between tracks. How many other bands could resist such a temptatation? The answer is likely none.

I have to say that I'm pleased with ‘Intercepting Fist’ in most respects, except for its production. Interestingly, all knob-twisting duties for this disc were handled by a man who is known not only for his tenure with such bands as Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal, but also for his old affiliation with Ripping Corpse. Yes, I’m afraid it’s true: none other than Eric Rutan has left his former band mates with a flat production that leaves much to be desired. I don’t mean to imply that a “cleaner” sound would have been better suited here, as Dim Mak is definitely a band that benefits from the dark, gritty aura that results from analog recording. The problem is that Rutan has left things in such a raw state that he deprives the band of their "punch" in the process. But when all is said and done, this is still a well-crafted album from a band that has certainly paid their dues.

OK if the title didn’t tip you off, these guys are not Ripping Corpse, nor are they trying to be. There are 3 former members of Ripping Corpse in the band (with a 4th, Erik Rutan producing), but Dim Mak is a very different entity. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ripping Corpse – Dreaming with the Dead is a classic that still stands out as original and unmatched to this day – and that is exactly why I say it’s a good thing that Dim Mak is totally different. If these guys had attempted to make Dreaming… part II, it would have undoubtedly been a huge disappointment. They’ve obviously grown as musicians and have something new to offer now.

First off, this album is hard to classify in any one metal sub-genre. However, to make it simple, this CD will probably appeal most to death metal fans. If you’re a Ripping Corpse fan, you will undoubtedly notice that the guitar playing of Shaune Kelley is still unmistakable. His guitar playing throughout Intercepting Fist is stellar, breaking out some incredibly inventive riffs and adding just the right amount of lead guitar, mostly in short bursts where it is appropriate rather than long, epic solos which wouldn’t fit on this CD. The greatest thing about Kelley’s playing on this CD is that is is constantly teasing you with the “Ripping Corpse-ishness” of it’s sound, yet it’s definitely a more matured style of riffing and songwriting. This alone ought to rope in just about any RC fan. The drumming of Brandon Thomas is another standout feature of Intercepting Fist. Thomas incorporates some very non-traditional style drumming and an extremely different tom sound and it works magicaly with Shaune Kelley’s riffs. His bass-snare-hi-hat work is simply brilliant in some spots where he opts to play a more off-time, almost “funky” beat to go with the riff, rather than just play fast double bass or some other “safe” kind of standard metal drumbeat. Listen to the beat that kicks in at 0:28 of Climbing Knife Mountain, or 0:26 of Nine Head Serpentine Sire. Sick shit! Thomas knows when to throw in a quick blast beat, however, which he does in a few spots on the CD. The bass…. ah yes, the bass. Well, the bass is more or less inaudible. Honesty, I think I heard it for the first time last week after listening to this CD for 2 years, and it was only for a split second. Anyways, for the bass to be mixed so low, I’m sure Dennis Carroll wasn’t doing too much of anything interesting if they let it get buried in the mix. Now, the vocals… the only spot where this CD loses some points with me. Scott Ruth’s vocals on this CD sound almost nothing like they did with Ripping Corpse. OK, so his vocals weren’t great then either, but his vocal approach on this CD is very, very monotonous. Almost like he’s trying to sound really, really pissed off… but somehow fails. Honestly though, I’ve listened to this CD so many times that it doesn’t really bother me. I’ve just accepted it as part of the listening experience and now it would sound wrong to me any other way. The subject matter of the CD (and the band as a whole) is based on martial arts. The lyrics can be quite interesting… or quite silly depending on who you are and how you look at them. But they definitely gain points with me for picking a concept that is original and sticking with it. To conclude, Intercepting Fist is a CD I find to be very original in it’s content and should appeal to most death metal fans, especially if you’re a musician yourself. You’ll appreciate the abilities of the band and hopefully enjoy this CD as much as I do.
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f you like this CD, maybe you can write a good review to offset the 25 rating someone else gave it. Really, a CD this original with as much effort and skill put into it does not deserve a 25, no matter how much you may not like it personally.

I was a HUGE fan of Ripping Corpse's one and only album, "Dreaming With The Dead" back in the early 90s, so I had high hopes for this new band. And was I disappointed to hear this, I'm sorry to say. Yes, the production is exceptional (it was, after all, done by Erik Rutan at his DImensional Sound Studios), but the songs lack a certain amount of character and distinction. They are still the same excellent players, but this sounds far too much like new school hardcore (AKA bad heavy metal with no solos), a genre I am none too fond of, to get into it. I find that "Intercepting Fist" lacks the same level of demented weirdness and conviction that Scott (Ruth/vocals), Shaune(Kelley/guitars), and Brandon(Thomas/drums)'s previous project had and that appealed to me so much. And Scott's vocals are the biggest disappointment of the lot; he sounds the same on every song, a monotonous guttural bark that has nowhere near the same personality as before. His high yelps and squeals added lots of distinctiveness to his vocals on "Dreaming...", rather like Schmier (Destruction), and it worked. There is just something about this album that screams "AVERAGE!!!", and I wouldn't really go out of my way to recommend this to folks, unless you just have to hear what these guys have been up to lately. Sorry, guys..."Deeper, deeper, in the woods they're found..."