Angerot – The Profound Recreant Review

[Cover art by Jon Zig]

We all like a little drama in the world. It can blow your mind, make you cry, force you to shrivel into a dried-up raisin from the shame of cringe, or even make you laugh at its wildness. Drama is the reason there are roughly 7,000 terrible reality TV shows in existence, with each one trying to out-stupid the other. The catch to all of that, of course, is that everyone’s appetite for drama varies. Some need a steady stream with drama functioning as a form of sustenance; they’ll go so far as to start shit just for a thrill. Others prefer minor controlled doses that make for an interesting story and would be appalled to see it strike any part of their actual life.

Release date: March 3, 2023. Label: Redefining Darkness Records
Flares for the dramatic are much the same way when it comes to music. Symphonic power metal with over-the-top belting vocals, perpetually shredding guitars, and tales of knights clashing with dragons is the perfect daily diet for some. Other listeners would rather sit in silence than to here even a moment of soft keys dance across their beloved death metal. For many, we fall somewhere in between. Angerot’s third album The Profound Recreant satiates that middle ground. The band seems to have heeded Carla’s advice to Elliot in Scrubs, where she advises that when it comes to relationships, doling out your personal crazy in small doses rather than unleashing it all at once on a first date is a recipe for success. Angerot likes the dramatic but doesn’t let it dominate what they do; instead, those theatrical flairs make their big riffs feel bigger and make their death metal that much more fun.

Angerot wastes no time establishing this troubadour’s mentality by opening the album with a one-minute intro track that’s nothing but religious chanting, singing and some well-timed hollering. Our catechism test is underway and all the answers that follow are fat death metal riffs with a demonic roar, whose sins would need an ocean’s worth of holy water to wash away. The lead single “They Shall Take Up Serpents” even carries over some of those chanting style vocals, but what makes them more effective is that they are subtly buried in the mix behind big musical moments. The extra layer adds a lot of flavor with it being thrown in your face.

Each song takes on the mission of theatricality but implements it differently. “Grand Feast Ov The Flesh” has a huge lumbering riff right off the bat and the primary lead riff sees several permutations to suit tempo shifts making it more dynamic. It doesn’t hurt that they layer classic gothic melodies all over the song befitting guest shredder Andy LaRocque (King Diamond), who provides a wicked little lead. “Bastard Creature” gets downright wiggly as it abuses whammy bars and fires off some dive bombs, which again, makes a lot of sense for a song that features Jack Owen (Six Feet Under, ex-Deicide, ex-Cannibal Corpse) and Sammy Duet (Goatwhore). The title track lets the keyboards and synths take over and while they are the most memorable and engaging part of the song, there are still slashing riffs that sound like an auditory sword fight. “Horns Ov Moses” implements some Tom G. Warrior-esque spoken-word passages, though, it could’ve really used a big OUGH to sell its finale.

You’ll notice there were a lot extra names dropped in there. In fact, The Profound Recreant has seven guest musicians giving this a summer blockbuster feel from an ensemble cast. Additional guests include Sebastian Brecht (Dhalian), Simon Olsen (Baest), Steve Tucker (Morbid Angel), and David Gutierrez Rojas (Bleeding Gods), who provides keys on three different tracks. What makes this giant list all the more impressive is that each person’s contribution adds something special to the track they are on without having any song feel like it isn’t an Angerot track or making it seem out of place on the album.

Another element that really sells that clenched-fist toward the gods type of drama is Chad Petit’s vocals. The dude can absolutely roar; simple as that. Even better, is the astonishing clarity that he does it with. If you sat with good headphones and really paid attention to what you were listening to, you could probably transcribe a solid 70% or more of the lyrics without ever looking at a booklet.

The risk, of course, with this focus on a more dramatic brand of death metal, is that it can sometimes come off as cheesy. You’ll note that several song titles use ov instead of, well, of. “Grand Feast Ov The Flesh” uses the “tonight, we dine in hell” sample from 300, but it’s luckily pretty buried in the mix and easy to miss. The keys on the title track would be right at home on a classic Cradle of Filth album. Petit bellows out lyrics like “I am the one defiler of your daughters. I have become the slayer of your sons.” Elevated horror, this is not.

Quite frankly, if you’re a metal fan who can’t enjoy a little bit of cheese in your heavy diet, then you’re taking yourself far too seriously and I gladly invite you to return to writing your manifesto in your mom’s basement. The cheese here compliments the stout death metal Angrot is creating so well that it’s just really damn fun. Turn your brain off, bang your head, chant along and wait for that little smirk to cross your face. You’re going to have a good time with this one.

 

Posted by Spencer Hotz

Admirer of the weird, the bizarre and the heavy, but so are you. Why else would you be here?

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