Sleeping Village Reviews
  • REVIEWS & PREMIERES
  • ARCHIVES
    • OLDE REVIEWS
    • OLDE INTERVIEWS
    • OLDE FEATURES
    • OLDE PREMIERES
  • SUBMIT FOR REVIEW!

KOMMAND - Death Age (Review)

5/19/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Written by: Blackie Skulless

​
This year hasn’t really seen a whole lot in the realm of standout death metal, probably a personal take of mine due to the massive influx of it in recent times. This would change with the U.S. death metal act Kommand dropping their second full-length (not to be confused with the black/thrash act Kömmand). Entitled Death Age, this sees a continuation of their first album a couple years ago. Terrorscape was already pretty tight, but here is where we gain an even higher jump in quality.

Despite being such a short release of only six tracks (also like the previous album), this passes before us rather quickly, but they pack a lot into a small container. Chunky, marshy riffs that carry loads of weight are pulled by compelling leads, some with a bit of a catchier ring to them. This is aided by production that gives it an echo-effect without overdoing anything, as well as a cleanliness level that brings everything forward without sanitizing what’s supposed to be filthy. Pacing is executed well for all of this release, letting the slower grooves swing into eruptive blasts with ease. “Chimera Soldiers” has a particularly strong ear for this, with opening leads that lay down strong dual-guitar layers.

Even solos play a decent role in Death Age, something that isn’t uncommon in death metal but seldom stands out. Opener “Final Virus” lays one of these down nicely, coating it with a gruff and grating overlay that adds an element of discomfort. The aforementioned “Chimera Soldiers” on the other hand sticks a little closer to home, sweeping in with a clean solo near the end. “Global Death” displays some of the best pacing, crawling in on a drawn-out doom/death railway to direct much of the track, before reaching an explosion of drum blasts at the end. Yet, there are a couple different angles to this slower draw, likely winning the title of my favorite song on the album.
​


I’d be lying if I acted like Kommand did anything groundbreaking, but as I say time and time again, being derivative is fine, especially if you can mold what we have into something refreshing or memorable. This is an essential listen for fans of the genre in general. Whether you prefer the OSDM style, the doom-oriented albums, or the buzzsaw sound effect in the riffs, it’s bound to yield something enjoyable. If it doesn’t, you only spent twenty-six minutes of your time.

Kommand - Death Age was released March 31st, 2023 via 20 Buck Spin
. Find it here!

Kommand can be found:
Homepage
Instagram
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    WELCOME!

    We provide thoughtful reviews of music that wakes us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry.


    Archives

    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021

    Categories

    All
    Acid Rock
    Adventure
    A High Quality Death Metal Album
    Album Premiere
    Album Stream
    Alternative Rock
    Ambient
    Antifascist
    AOTY
    Atmospheric
    Atmospheric Doom
    Avant Garde
    Blackened
    Blackened Death Metal
    Blackened Doom
    Blackened Thrash
    Black Metal
    Black 'n' Roll
    Brutal Death Metal
    Cinematic
    Classic Albums
    Classic Rock
    Cover Song
    Crust
    Crust Punk
    Dark Ambient
    Deathcore
    Death Doom
    Death Metal
    Death Thrash
    Demo
    Dissonant Death Metal
    Doomgaze
    Doom Metal
    Doomviolence
    Drone
    Dungeon Synth
    Electronic
    Electronica
    EP
    Epic Metal
    Europower
    Experimental
    Extreme Metal
    Faery Synth
    Folk Metal
    Fresh Meat Friday
    From The Archives
    Goregrind
    Gothic
    Grindcore
    Groove Metal
    Grunge
    Guest Post
    Hardcore
    Hard Rock
    Harsh Noise
    Heavy Metal
    Heavy Psych
    Heavy Rock
    Indie Rock
    Industrial Metal
    Instrumental
    Interview
    Jazz
    Lists 2022
    Mathcore
    Melodic Black Metal
    Melodic Metal
    Metallic Hardcore
    Metal Reviews
    Mini Reviews
    Music Video
    Neoclassical Metal
    Noise
    NWOBHM
    NWOTHM
    Occult
    Olde Reviews
    Old School Death Metal
    On The Horizon
    OSDM
    Pop Rock
    Post-hardcore
    Post Metal
    Post-metal
    Post-rock
    Power Electronics
    Power Metal
    Powerviolence
    Prog
    Progressive Death Metal
    Progressive Metal
    Progressive Rock
    Progressive Thrash
    Prog Rock
    Proto-metal
    Psych
    Punk
    Rap
    Raw Black Metal
    Release Day Roundup
    Retro Rock
    Retrospective Reviews
    Reviews
    Rock
    Rock & Roll
    Sci-fi
    Ska
    Skate Punk
    Skramz
    Slam
    Sludge
    Soundtrack
    Speed Metal
    Split Releases
    Stoner
    Stoner Doom
    Stoner Metal
    Stoner Rock
    Stoner Thrash
    Swedeath
    Swedish Death Metal
    Symphonic Metal
    Synth
    Synthwave
    Thrash Metal
    Top 10
    Track Premiere
    Track Reviews
    Traditional Doom
    Traditional Metal
    Two Of A Perfect Pair
    USPM

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • REVIEWS & PREMIERES
  • ARCHIVES
    • OLDE REVIEWS
    • OLDE INTERVIEWS
    • OLDE FEATURES
    • OLDE PREMIERES
  • SUBMIT FOR REVIEW!