originally written by Jim Brandon
Australia has gained world renown for producing some of the nastiest and most vile variations of death and black metal bands you can find, so I was a bit surprised by the stark contrast Denouncement Pyre presented on World Cremation. These eight tracks give fair indication that this band is capable of doing quite a bit of damage in the riff department, but the overall outcome is one of average consequence while still occupying a space above the dregs of black metal mediocrity.
After viewing a bit of their history and seeing just how many other bands the past and current members have been directly connected to (Stargazer, Cauldron Black Ram, Destruktor, Portal, etc.), the straightforward nature of this material is much more accessible in comparison to some of those other unwieldy acts. Guided by Decaylust’s midranged croak and thorny riffs, the majority of these songs have more in common with American blackthrash and a few Norwegian BM groups. Cold, treble-heavy tremolo riffs slicing and dicing above a frequently flailing drum assault represents the most often used method of attack, but on “Salvation, The Fading Light” and the beginning of “Purification” they show that they can venture towards more deliberate avenues and be no less impacting. Opening track “Black Womb Of The Magdalene” is quite the nod to a number of Angelcorpse tunes, and “Coven Of Diabolical Prophesies” sometimes comes across like Hypocrisy trying their hand at a little black n’ roll with the loping chug of riffs. “Banner Drenched In Blood” is pure black metal in all its careening, razorlike glory, but takes a breather and slows down towards its off-kilter conclusion, and final tune “Invination Of Poison” is one hell of an off-road ride, hitting odd stop/start parts, lightning fast riffs, and grinding slow grooves in a constant switching up of tempo that makes its seven minute length fly by effortlessly
World Cremation is a very left-of-center disc when placed next to the majority of Aussie bands, and even the atypically illustrated purplish/grey muted color scheme of the cover is less kult and grim than the filthy many from Down Under. Aside from “Banner Drenched In Blood” there aren’t many standout tracks in to point out, but there also isn’t a clunker in the bunch, as each tune goes through it’s individual share of solid and occasionally unexpected riffs and changes in direction. I’d like to hear how Denouncement Pyre would fare with a bit more bottom end and an upping in overall intensity, because this debut full-length already exhibits a substantial amount of know-how that would sound even better with more creativity and fire behind it.
