Holocaustum - IN THE FIELDS THEY BLED (Album Review)

[Ahmed Baldr]

• Release Date: 12 May 2015
• Genre: Blackened Death Metal
• Produced By: Dark Horizon

There’s a definite sweet spot in death metal. A place where driving guitars and bullet beat-heavy drums rise and fall, without slipping into overly cloying melodies and excessive arpeggios. It’s a place where fans of dark metal find themselves challenged and engaged, without too much abstraction. Exceptional death metal makes fans feel like they’ve tapped the driving, no-holds-barred energy of war, with all of it’s intensity and rising anger. Holocaustum channeled this relentless, dark energy for much of their new release, “In the Fields They Bled.” While the band fits pretty squarely into the category of Blackened Death metal, other influences are audibly present and come through in each of the album’s eight tracks. Charlie Baughman’s complex guitar solos (Atrocities, Bring Forth), have all the raw driving of Trey Azagtoth (Morbid Angel), but with a little of Mikael Akerfeldt’s (Opeth) complexity and capability mixed in. The rising, continuously driving impact of many of the tracks (Remnants, Pulverizing) is reminiscent of Goatwhore and Emperor, but with slight nods to the doomier metals of the death metal genre, including Erg Noor. Front woman Shawna Silvers deserves special recognition for her guttural vocals, which have the same brutal driving qualities at times as Nergel of Behemoth (Remnants, Bring Forth). At times, her pummeling and jarring vocals exist in an almost shocking contrast to how Baughman’s edgy, wailing solos slip into higher registers . The overall effect is much more provoking than many death metal releases, but still utterly ruthless. I get the impression that in a live show setting, watching Holocaustum is like leaning into a wall of driving sound and pure war energy.Drummer Tomasz Pilasiewicz’s skill for fast changes and uncompromising rhythms is apparent throughout much of the recording. If I had any criticism of the songwriting or mixing, it would be that his contribution and talent aren’t always showcased to the extent they could be. I’d love to hear his rapid switches between traditional blast beats and bomb blasts showcased in future records. Silver’s capacity for long growls in the vocal fry register (Am I Not Merciful?) is particularly impressive, and shining an increased spotlight on her hellacious vocals would be a welcomed addition to future records. It’s rare to find a comprehensive Death Metal album that combines much of the pummeling brutality of the death metal genre, the complex songwriting of melodeath, and still manages to deliver elements of surprise to dedicated fans. In Fields They Bledachieves this. The album is a clear progression in talent and brutality to their 2011 release, Crawling Through the Flames of Damnation. Holocaustum is undoubtedly a band to watch in the years to come. Overall Analysis: 9/10. Fans of death, black, and melodeath will find this a welcome addition to their playlists. Holocaustum’s certainly a contender to watch in future releases, particularly as they explore the intersection of Silver’s deeply savage vocals and Baughman’s remarkable capability for brutally screaming guitar. Source.