J-Man Devoured By The Swarm...

In the eyes of the general popstar-adoring public, death metal is (and always has been) a "weird" genre. Whether we're talking about the violent and Satanic-themed lyrics, gory album covers, or the extreme heaviness and growled vocals, it's safe to say that the non-metal-inclined population will always look at death metal as a weird genre. But every now and again a death metal album comes out that even I will consider "weird". Contaigeon's debut album, Death at the Gates of Delirium, is precisely one of these albums. Taking the basis of death metal and turning it upside-down with an unorthodox and twisted approach, Contaigeon has easily created one of the most unique and surprising death metal albums in the last decade. This album takes a while to sink in, but it's well worth it in the end. I have a huge appreciation for one-of-a-kind and adventurous acts like this, and, although Contaigeon still has room to improve on a few things, it's safe to say that this experiment was ultimately a successful one.

Describing the music here is somewhat difficult. Although it's clear that Death at the Gates of Delirium is firmly rooted in the brutal death metal scene, I sense a bit of an avant-garde approach in the vein of Obscura by Gorguts. This is mostly conveyed by lots of dissonance and harsh chord progressions. Add in some blazing fast drums and haunting vocals, and you have a truly nightmarish album. Death at the Gates of Delirium takes a few spins to sink in, but a few moments grabbed me from first listen. Songs like the "The Following Darkness" and "Slithering Sickness" immediately immersed me with their dark and chilling atmospheres, and the rest of the album became interesting soon thereafter. After a few more listens, most of Death at the Gates of Delirium had me hooked, though I'm still not completely convinced by all of the compositions. There isn't a whole lot of variation, and a few of the less memorable tracks are difficult to distinguish from each other.

One of the most interesting things about Death at the Gates of Delirium is the extremely unconventional production. It sounds somewhat muffled and raw, but not at all in a bad way. This is one of the most unique productions I have ever heard, and I have a feeling that it will remain one of the most unique productions for many years to come.

Conclusion:

Death at the Gates of Delirium isn't a beautiful album by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a great listen for those who enjoy their death metal convoluted into a dark and creepy atmosphere. This is the type of album that you just can't listen to casually - it demands your undivided attention, and even then, understanding the entire album is difficult. Fans of twisted death metal will definitely want to check this out, especially considering the band has generously offered it for free download from their Bandcamp page. I'll go with 3.5 stars here. I give the band a lot of credit for creating something entirely new and unique, even though my own personal enjoyment is varied.

The Block When I first got this album, a free download from their band site, I was thoroughly enjoyed since I don’t often get free stuff. And, after I listened to it, I was still very happy with even though it took at least six to seven listens to get used to it. Musically it is very sound with good drums and a good guitar. One complaint about the drums, played by Carrious the keeper of rhythmic rituals as he so put it, because they are a bit repetitive over all the songs. This isn’t all that bad though since the drumming is very enjoyable and adds a lot to the songs. Rahab, the guitarist, employs some very heavy riffs, and overall good playing, which adds very nice layers to the songs. Then came the problem that caused me to listen to it more and more to see if it got any better.

That problem was their singing. The first time I listened to the album it sounded as if Archeon was growling through a metal cup in his parent’s basement. I think you could blame most of that on their production, since they have not been picked up by a label yet. But, as I listened to it more and more it was easier to make out their lyrics, and they weren’t so warbled.

Then after even more listens I began to see the extent of their abilities. It is very somber and dark, but with an edge to it. The lyrics also became easier and easier to hear when I put more listens in. they are quite original, but in a weird, and dark sort of way. The song that really got me into the album was “The Day the Earth Stood Dead” because it had very good bass and guitar lines that layered smoothly, if you could call deep, dark, and imminence smooth. Also the drums vary from the other songs which make it sound more unique.

This bands ability to change my mind definitely warrants their debut 3.5 stars, and I look foreword to seeing them get picked up by a record label and put out some more good stuff.

UMUR "Death At The Gates Of Delirium" is the debut full-length studio album by UK, Newcastle based death metal act Contaigeon. The album was independently released in June 2010 and distributed through their Bandcamp page. Contaigeon was formed in late 2008.

The music on the album is death metal with an unorthodox twist. The vocals are brutal (and varied within the confines of the genre) and appear a bit low in the mix, which gives the music a somber edge. The riffs are twisted and always dark and slightly dissonant. I´m reminded of Immolation, and when the music is most muddy and bleak, the Australian death metal oddballs in Portal comes to mind. The music on "Death At The Gates Of Delirium" is more easily accessible than most of the demanding output of Portal though. On the band´s Bandcamp page, it says that the album is dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft (American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction (1890 - 1937)) and Zdzislaw Beksinski (Polish painter, photographer and sculptor 1929 - 2005)) and bearing those influences in mind, it´s no surprise that the music on "Death At The Gates Of Delirium" comes off as pretty obscure and unconventional.

One of the great things about "Death At The Gates Of Delirium" is the fact that there´s a good balance between the obscure and the accessible. There are plenty of hooks and memorable moments featured in the material, but it´s not presented with easy melodies or clean sung vocals. This is pretty old school, gritty, and dark all the way through. The musicianship is excellent throughout, but not flashy in a disturbing way. Contaigeon´s focus is on the obscure atmosphere.

The sound production is rather original and very succesful to my ears. With thousands of death metal releases coming out every year and only a very limited sound/style spectrum to work within, death metal albums have a tendency to sound very much the same. There are of course always a couple of different production styles that are popular at certain points in time, but few of them are timeless. I´d call the sound on "Death At The Gates Of Delirium" both timeless and unique and that´s quite the achivement for an album that is not backed up by a label.

Contaigeon enter the death metal scene with a bang with this debut album, and if you´re a fan of the more obscure and dark brutal death metal acts in the genre I can highly recommend "Death At The Gates Of Delirium". The fact that such a great album is offered up for free download unfortunately says something about the lack of support the more daring and adventurous bands get from labels these days. I hope for Contaigeon that a label picks up "Death At The Gates Of Delirium" for a re-release in physical form. They deserve it. I´ll definitely be following the band in the coming years to see what this very promising start will bring. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.