I first have to start of this review by saying how surprised I am how
much I have come to enjoy this album. I have always been a more
Floridian style US death metal fan. Whilst been unaware of the New York
scene for a few years I decided to check it out. I was always put off
by reputation as I heard a lot of it was to influence slam death etc.
However I barley hear it in this album which is a good thing. Along
with other such noteworthy acts as Immolation and Incantation.Morpheus Descends are a part of a pretty fucking powerful tri-force that came from that scene.
History
lesson aside this album coming in at just 32 minutes is a half hour
bludgeoning in the art of death metal. The band deliver an arsenal of
riffs over the awesome drumming of Ken Faggio. There are thrash infused
head banging moments, mid tempo crushing proto type brutal death metal
riffs and the odd slow moment on the album. The arrangements all have
enough elements to make them interesting and to keep your attention.
The production is pretty low end heavy. And loses some clarity of the
riffs, the drums kick drum is pretty loud in the mix also. The drumming
switches between stock death metal beats and some pretty inventive
ideas in terms of feeling and fills. Just listen to the off beat snare
work in the opening track. The vocals are good even if they are a bit
standard, and are just what you would expect from this scene. However
even though they are standard I just can't help loving them and I'm
sure most death metal fans will enjoy this vocal performance.
Ritual
of Infinity is a very solid and very brutal 30 minute affair. It has a
pretty good reputation with fans of this scene and I can say it is
quiet deserved. The highlights for me have to be the opening two track
onslaught of The Way of All Flesh. With a pounding brutal opening
before going in to mid tempo brutality. Corpse Under Glass with some of
the most thrashy riffs of the album on offer. Trephanation for the same
reasons, with my favourite riff on the album around the half way point
a true neck breaker. As far as getting a hard copy of this it more than
likely isn't going to happen. However thanks to file sharing we can all
listen to music that was sadly forgotten about and left behind like a
lot of good old death metal.
Ritual of Infinity holds its own
against their counterparts from the old New York scene and should be in
every death metal fan's music library.
Score 4/5
/C
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