THE WAKEDEAD GATHERING — Dark Circles (review)

THE WAKEDEAD GATHERING — Dark Circles album cover EP · 2012 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Time Signature
Inhale the eclipse...

Genre: death metal

Released in 2012 for the fans to enjoy while waiting for The Wakedead Gathering's next full-length, "Dark Circle" is an EP that constitutes a neat little package of death metal mayhem. And, boy, are old school death metal fans in for a treat here.

Shunning all that's modern in death metal, Andrew Lampe - the sole member of the band - embraces the sound and aesthetics of 90s death metal. Thus, the riffage is more akin to the simplicity of Bolt Thrower and Autopsy than, say, the complexity of Obscura or Benighted. That is, the album is characterized by a certain primitiveness in terms of riffage. And this is exactly what makes this release so enjoyable; Lampe really manages to capture death metal back when it was still charming and drew on raw energy rather than overly technical playing. There is an even thrashy feel to some of the parts on the EP.

What is more, there is a considerable amount of melody in the five tracks on the album - primarily in the form of melodic single and twin leads. This is definitely another positive feature of the EP. The melodic approach is both in an interesting contrast and congruence with the fuzzy, but far from lo-fi, production of the EP.

A fine release indeed, "Dark Circles" impresses me in its old school direction, but I still have to get used to the fact that more of the tracks on the album fade out rather than having endings proper, as it were.

Although lyrically quite different, the closest relative in the universe of death metal, musically, is probably Bolt Thrower, so fans of the British war metallers should also like The Wakedead Gathering's ritualistic and Lovecraftian brand of old school death metal.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Oud Zeer Atmospheric Sludge Metal
ONTAARD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Oud Zeer Sludge Metal
THROWING BRICKS
Buy this album from MMA partners
War. Metal Related
WHORES.
Buy this album from MMA partners
The First Breath Is The Beginning Of Death Sludge Metal
IDIOT CHILD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Morbid Curiosities Sludge Metal
LUURCH
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 2 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 2 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed