[Cover art by Nick Blinko]
A lot of credit should be given for simply understanding the assignment, and credit Blood Monolith for doing exactly that. This band plays death metal, and they do so with extreme violence, rip roaring intensity, and generally bad intentions. In short, they obey what should be the first rule of death metal: go hard, ladies and gents.
Opener “Trepanation Worm” blast beats itself into existence with absolutely zero fanfare, basically starting the record with the madness already dialed up to 11. But thankfully Blood Monolith brings more than just intensity to the party; this thing riffs hard. The opener also features almost shreddy, palm-muted riffs that ought to bring a wide grin to listeners, while “Prayer to Crom” does a really nasty little half-time, double kick passage that really lets the heft of the guitars come through. The album pretty frequently resembles a faster Cannibal Corpse if they had the reckless abandon of punk. This is especially true of the wicked fun “Slaughter Garden” (which, props on that great title). Riffs are peppy and catchy, but they mean you harm, and drums are tight, but you feel like the whole thing could fly apart at any second.
Really though, The Calling Of Fire is a well-balanced hybrid of OSDM violent delights. The album’s relentless ferocity brings early Deicide to mind, while other parts of the album offer hints of classic Swedeath. The latter influence is particularly true of “Viscera Vobiscum,” which is one of the few moments on the album where the tiniest hint of melody sneaks in. Oh, and that song’s sassy 8th/16th riff trudge? As heavy it gets on an already very heavy death metal record.
The only area where the album feels maybe a mite undercooked is in Lermo’s vocals, which do a somewhat typical ooorgh with very little flair in terms of rhythm or cadence. He possessed a good, deep death roar, but with everything else so sharp and fierce, it’s surprising that the vocals weren’t designed to be just as murderous. This is admittedly less of a true flaw than it is an opportunity to level up, but it’s notable nonetheless.
That minor gripe aside, The Calling Of Fire is largely a feast for hungry death metal ears. As stated, Blood Monolith understands that death metal should bring devastation above all else, and they deliver a brutally efficient, riff-centric package of violence that leaves little or no room to get comfortable. After all, life’s too short for easy listening death metal.
