STRANGULATION „Atrocious Retribution”

Death metal
26.06 (9 songs)
Cool songs: Atrocious Retribution, The Art of Torture, Exit the World
www.strangulation.net

The most mind numbing, frustrating aspects about reviewing music is finding the ability to come up with something new for something that has been repeated ad nausem. I guess we all do it out of respect for the time and effort most bands put into their music, but trying to dress up a review with colorful prose and adjectives while knowing all along that what you’re describing is nothing but the same shit under a different name can be damn well infuriating. This is my problem with Sweden’s ‘Strangulation’.

No matter how I try to put it, there is no getting away from the fact that Strangulation love Cannibal Corpse. They also love Suffocation. And they love Deicide. They may come from Sweden, but Strangulation lean heavily towards the American Death Metal sound. If you want some sort of home-style comparison, then Vomitory would suffice, but then again, they too love the American DM sound and style. Digesting these influences, ‘Atrocious Retribution adds up to one thing only – some serious death metal blasting. And nothing but!

Strangulation have laid down a nine track and seriously short 26 minute death metal affair in ‘AR’. They make no apologies for their lack of innovation or their love for all things ‘Tomb of the Mutilated’ or ‘Once Upon the Cross’. Track after track, Strangulation deliver waves and pummeling riffage, blasting snare work, rolling rhythms and pit inducing grooves (see, I told you it was hard to come up with new descriptions..Ha!). Backed by a typically dry (American Death Metal) sounding production (from Markus Nowak), Strangulation is indeed flying the flame for intensity and extremity in music. It all charges along in fine style; A slightly over-done style, but still, fine enough.

BUT (and you knew that was coming hey?), this is where is all comes to a grinding halt for me. As much as Strangulation impresses me with their musical dexterity and pummeling quotient, there is nothing they can do to remove the foul stench of ‘repeatitis’ (I think I just made that word up?) in the air. By that I mean Strangulation are pure and simply cannon fodder death metal. Put ‘em in a field with a dozen (no make that 10 dozen) other like-minded death metal bands and fire at random. Would we miss Strangulation if they were taken down? Probably not. Strangulation does what they do real well. But it just isn’t enough anymore. They don’t give me anything new whatsoever. And yes, I realize that this is not the point, but fucking hell punters, the only people who will try this album out are rabid death metal worshippers that have to have anything and everything that sounds like a dozen other bands before them. If Strangulation are content with that then good luck to them.

Strangulation, despite all their good intentions are, in my eyes at least, a solid, but oh so run of the mill death metal act. ‘Atrocious Retribution’ has that classic old school DM sound about it, but do we really need repeated again? Simply, if your tastes in heavy music are varied, there are tons more innovative Death Metal bands to get into than to waste your time on this act. If you listen to Death Metal and nothing else, then Strangulation are your new favorite band. I know which camp I’m in.

note: 5.0/10

Tracklist

01. Atrocious Retribution
02. Flesh Harrier
03. Suffer and Die
04. The Strangulation
05. The Art of Torture
06. Human Wreck
07. Exit the World
08. Visions of Death
09. I Need to Kill