Reviews: SAT117
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Corpse Garden are a band from Costa Rica that plays a very brutal and atmospheric form of death metal and this is a review of their 2015 album "Entheogen" which will be released in May as a joint effort between Satanah and RTM Productions.
A very dark, fast and brutal death metal sound starts off the album along with some growling vocals and blast beats and you can also hear a touch of progressive metal in the bands musical style and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and after awhile high pitched screams can be heard in certain sections of the recording.
Atmospheric and symphonic elements can be heard in some of the tracks along with all of the musical instruments having a very powerful sound and the solos bring more of a technical and old school death metal vibe to the songs they are utilized on and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them.
Dark and ritualistic sound effects can be heard on some of the tracks and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts along with some melodic riffs being utilized at times and some of the tracks are very long and epic in length and some of the tracks also bring in a small amount of acoustic guitars and some of the later tracks also bring in a small amount of psychedelic elements and spoken word parts.
Corpse Garden plays a style of death metal that is very original taking the brutal side and mixing in some technical and avant garde structures to create a sound of their own, the production sound s very professional while the lyrics cover Jungian themes and Alchemy.
In my opinion Corpse Garden are a very great sounding brutal and atmospheric death metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album> RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "In The Womb of Chaos" "Suspended Over The Abyss" "The First Incarnation" and "Red Pulvis Solaris". 8/5 out of 10.
Desde la exótica Costa Rica nos llega el segundo disco de una banda formada hace 6 años llamada CORPSE GARDEN. Su primer trabajo fue titulado “Burnt by the Light” y se publicó hace tres años. Pues bien, con su novedoso “Entheogen” nos ofrecen un Death Metal contundente con una amplia dosis de guturales y unos ritmos veloces que son ideales para hacer moshpit como un loco en sus conciertos.
Las voces guturales son el elemento protagonista, aportando esa brutalidad y esa profundidad que acompaña a unas enérgicas guitarras. Los pasajes más comunes son en los que las ya mencionadas guitarras hacen una perfecta comunión con una precisa batería y elevan el nivel del compacto un peldaño más arriba. Los solos de guitarra “desoxigenan” en cierta medida al álbum de su brutalidad, demostrando una gran técnica y una enorme sobriedad a la hora de ser ejecutados.
“Entheogen” es un notable trabajo por parte de una banda desconocida por estos lares pero que se merece toda tu atención si lo tuyo es el Death Metal puro y duro.
Screen of review.
Following fellow countrymen Sight of Emptiness in leading the Costa Rican Metal scene to international recognition, Death Metal maestro's Corpse Garden have spewed out their second offering 'Entheogen' with such fury, it eclipses their debut album "Burnt By The Light" (See GMA Vol88) completely. As stated Corpse Garden were a band to watch, now that they are signed their dreams are coming true. 'Entheogen' is a tour de force that will keep many passionate Death Metal addicts entertained, not because it's coming from a tropical country, but more so through it's ability to evade any signs of weakness. With this new album, Corpse Garden ought to be preparing themselves for a world tour (or at least Europe), because 'Entheogen' will almost certainly prove to be popular amongst the European metal nations, with it's tactful display of blistering-paced drums, gritty vocals and whiplash-riffs, it's a given prediction. It may also be a contender for Costa Rican metal release of the year.
Recommended track: "Sulphur".
For fans of: Abhorrent Decimation, Defaced, Infection (Peru).
I clicked on Corpse Garden thinking they would be a really sick doom metal band, instead they turned out to be a really sick death metal band. I love it when things work out like that! The point being, Entheogen is a death metal release for the ages, scoring waves of cacophonous sound on top of crushing angular riffs that nicely punctuate some wonderfully guttural growls. There is something oddly charming about the throat munching assault of Corpse Garden and the way that they hit you below the belt.
I think what really gets me about Corpse Garden is the use of phlanger effects and other interesting sounds to create fanatical sonic soundscapes. As you delve deeper into this record you almost feel yourself going insane to the sound of music meant to torment the listener and give them faith in a better tomorrow. There is a sense of compositional excellence that permeates Entheogen and definitively proves the skill of these musicians. The sense of bombast and the triumph that dominates songs like Evoking A Dead Sun is what defines this record and a big part of what makes it endlessly fascinating to me.
This is the kind of record that you can fall into and then in love with. Corpse Garden have managed to cultivate a rather iconoclastic sound that will capture the imagination of most any metaller. Sure, they're rather dense and sure it's probably not for everyone, but for those of us who enjoy deeply cerebral boundary pushing music then Corpse Garden represent the cutting edge. Taking elements that have been germinating in the scene for years Corpse Garden have now come to take your fucking head.
Costa Rican brutalizers Corpse Garden are weeding out the weak with their second full-length release in the altered state-inducing Entheogen, a heaving and multi-limbed outgrowth of death metal rife with dense technicality and moments of grooving, serpentine progression.
Backed by Carlos Venegas’s voluble bass play, immediate references include Obscura and Blood Red Throne, while a track like “A Balance of Opposites” is undeniably akin to Gojira. Corpse Garden tend to start great and finish well—occasionally getting lost in between—and their attention to minutiae, especially during slower passages like the one found on “Evoking a Dead Sun,” result in absolute highlights. An impressive follow-up.
Yep, this is a good CD! I simply love it when there is being experimented out of necessity, rather than out of a need to display individual abilities. And that is exactly what the in 2009 founded Costa Rican Corpse Garden does here. This is their second album, in the meantime three out of five members have been replaced, but it doesn’t seem to have any negative effect on them whatsoever. The chemistry they have is exceptional and the songs show a rock solid coherency. Like I said, the band is quite experimental, but the in the core it is unmistakably a pure death metal band, in which rolling up (or tearing off) your sleeves and giving everything you got comes first, even though at times a strange rhythm or a dissonant bass passage comes by every now and then. They also make notion of the traditional instruments “the eBow” and “Mellotron”, but it all keeps fitting in the vibe they put down. The power surge is huge, they play together very tightly and the production perfectly enables them to enhance that power. The melody lines are also quite strong, catchy without being cheesy. If they would have started twenty years earlier, they would now have been mega stars.
CORPSE GARDEN stammen aus Costa Rica und haben hier ihr Zweitwerk am Start, das mit dem Opener „The Quantum Rapture“ gleich mal ohne Umschweife Daeth Metal der flotten Art vor den Latz knallt. In Sachen Breaks sind die Jungs auch gut unterwegs, immer wieder wird der Track aufgelockert und durch das Keyboard aus dem Hintergrund baut sich auch ein Hauch Bombast zu der unbändigen Wucht des Death Metals auf. Mit der über zwei Minuten langen Geräuschkulisse namens „In the Womb of Chaos“ gehen zwar ein paar Pluspunkte bei mir verloren, doch diese können allein schon durch den Druck und die donnernde Double Bass zu Beginn von „Portal to the Oneiric“ wett gemacht werden. Das Stück bleibt aber nicht so zurückhaltend, sondern geht gut ins Up Tempo über und erinnert da in Zügen an Chuck Schuldiners Death. „The Arrival of Saturn“ ist wieder so ein verzichtbarer Zwischenspieler, dem mit „Suspended over the Abyss“ ein fetziger Batzen Death Metal folgt, der geradlinig vor den Latz knallt. Etwas ungewöhnliche Sound Fetzen sind bei „Evoking a Dead Sun“ mit dabei, an die man sich erst gewöhnen muss, aber im Endeffekt doch ins Schema des Songs passen, während bei „Sulphur“ es fast durchgängig knüppelt und wenn der Fuß mal vom Gas genommen wird, sind CORPSE GARDEN in technischen Gefilden unterwegs. Wieder ein Zwischenspieler kommt nun mit „Neux Ex Machina“, so ein Part kann zwar das Album auflockern, aber dafür sind mir über drei Minuten einfach zu viel, dann schon lieber das technische Geballer wie in „The First Incarnation“. Danach gibt sich „A Balance of Opposites“ träge und zäh schleppend, die Double Bass erinnert hier und da ein wenig an Bolt Thrower und gut, dass zwischendurch der Speed auch mal angezogen wird.
Am Ende bringt es das Album mit seinen 13 Songs auf eine Spielzeit von über 62 Minuten, wobei die Zwischenspieler meines Erachtens viel zu lang sind und den Spielfluss der Scheibe doch etwas hemmt. Diesen Abzug eingerechnet ergibt es hier in Summe aber immer noch 6,8 von 10 Punkten.
In a recent article about underground metal, OneMetal editor Philip Whitehouse remarked on the inherently global nature of heavy metal. Owing to this characteristic, it’s always an intrigue when an album by a band hailing from a country with no other well-known proponents of the genre lands in the OneMetal mailbox. A cursory glance at The Metal Archives tells me that there are indeed many metal bands that call Costa Rica their home, but I have to admit that Corpse Garden are the first that I have encountered.
I’m not sure quite what I was expecting to hear, but the sound underscoring Entheogen, the band’s sophomore album, came as somewhat of a surprise. While much Latin American death metal has a strong punk influence and a raw delivery and production quality, Corpse Garden lean much closer towards traditional European and North American death metal. For established fans of the band, it’s worth noting that this album is a much more dynamic affair than 2012’s Burnt by the Light, while new singer Filipe Tencio’s vocals carry a notably heavier sense of diversity and clarity.
By its nature of extremity, death metal is typically a genre that extols complexity – whether it be in the song structures, musicianship, or lyrical content – and there’s a strong culture of musicians feeling the need to outplay each other. All of which makes Corpse Garden’s comfort with simplicity that much more refreshing. Just listen to the rousing stomp of ‘Portal to the Oneiric’ or the Slipknot-esque groove on ‘A Balance of Opposites’. It’s moments of well-timed simplicity like these that tend to carry the most impact when deployed amidst a barrage of twisting leads and blast beats.
Which, of course, is not to say that Corpse Garden shy away from complexity and technicality. Their song structures in particular are noticeably ambitious, building gargantuan melodic death metal riffs from foreboding clean arpeggios, or descending from a distinctly Behemoth-ian sound to experimental post-metal noise as on ‘The First Incantation’. Drummer Erick Mejia does a standout job throughout of picking up the slack whenever the guitars drop the pace, and he punctuates their punch perfectly with some fine footwork – check out the outro of opening song ‘The Quantum Rapture’. Similarly, the vocals are used to create a shift in dynamics as Tencio switches between guttural lows and rasping highs, often doing so halfway through a line in order to emphasise particular words.
Something else that struck me about Entheogen was the use of guitar solos. It’s not commonplace to hear such a distinctive lead playing style when listening to this kind of death metal, and this is certainly something that sets the album apart from its peers. While the majority of the record consists of high precision playing, the guitar solos are the one place where all sense of order is lost, and they quite often descend into untamed chaos.
A breath of fresh air it may be, but Entheogen is by no means perfect. The decision to put a two minute long ambient track directly after the colossal and – quite frankly – terrifying album opener ‘The Quantum Solace’ is a categorical mistake in unquestionable terms. Having a respite so early on in the album only serves to slam the brakes on the record’s momentum and isolates this one track from the others. There are a few of these tracks scattered throughout the album but the only one that truly adds something is ‘Neux Ex Machina’ with its otherworldly ambience, unsettling guitars, and haunting spoken word soundbites. Final track ‘Enantiodromia’, however, is a frustratingly unnecessary five-minute drone of noise. It’s not that these pieces are inherently bad – it just seems that they could be better placed or used more sparingly in order to enhance their impact.
At its heart, Entheogen is a technical death metal album that packs some serious groove, which of itself is unusual on today’s metal landscape. Some of the songs do suffer from being slightly indistinct from one another but, whichever way you look at it, you’re bound to find something refreshing in this release.
Il y a de fortes chances pour que vous n’ayez jamais entendu parler de Corpse Garden. Pourtant, ce groupe de death metal fondé en 2008 au Costa Rica, publie cette année son deuxième album, Entheogen. Annonçant la couleur dès l’artwork, par ailleurs fort sympathique, ce sont un total de treize pistes brutales et techniques qui s’offrent à nous, dans la plus pure lignée d’un Suffocation.
C’est en effet le nom des Américains qui vient en premier lieu à l’esprit, tout particulièrement en raison du chant de Felipe Tencio qui rappelle à s’y méprendre celui de Frank Mullen. Et il est vrai que les riffs techniques n’ont rien à envier non plus à ceux des pionniers du brutal death, sachant allier violence et technicité pour un résultat impressionnant de maîtrise, et ce dès le premier titre de l’album, « The Quantum Rapture ».
Les riffs sont solides, bien soutenus par la basse fretless de Carlos Venegas, qui donne de la profondeur aux compositions comme sur « Red Pulvis Solaris ». En dépit de la relative longueur des titres, Corpse Garden parvient tout au long de l’album à garder une cohérence dans sa musique, bien que de nombreuses cassures rythmiques et des structures complexes viennent bouleverser les thèmes développés et montrer qui plus est toute l’étendue de la maîtrise instrumentale des musiciens (« Evoking a Dead Sun »). Les soli des deux guitaristes Federico Gutierrez et Esteban Sancho ont pour vocation de servir les compositions, sans faire office de déballage technique outrancier.
Corpse Garden, Brutal death, Costa Rica
Mais là où le groupe cherche à se démarquer, c’est en proposant plusieurs interludes, sous forme de pistes assez courtes, parfois acoustiques, allant flirter avec l’ambiant et le prog (« Enantiodromia » presque proche d’un Tool, « In the Womb of Chaos» ou encore « Arrival of Saturn » qui flirte avec le drone). Non content de diversifier et d’aérer l’album, cette démarche (rappelant celle initiée récemment par Illuminati) permet également de mettre en avant la diversité des influences des musiciens.
Ces passages et interludes permettent également de mieux apprécier la déferlante de riffs techniques et brutaux, bien mise en valeur par une production qui si elle se veut moderne n’est pas froide et sans âme pour autant.
Du point de vue musical, peu de reproches sont à formuler. Les compositions sont solides mais manquent peut-être un peu d’originalité dans ses parties les plus violentes pour réellement accrocher l’oreille (« Suspended over the Abyss »). Les Costaricains manquent encore de maturité et n’ont pas encore digéré toutes leurs influences pour réaliser un album personnel, surtout sur les compositions les plus brutales. Néanmoins, cet opus devrait plaire aux amateurs du style, en raison d’une technique sans faille et de la qualité des compositions. Si vous attendez avec impatience le successeur de Pinacle of Bedlam de Suffocation, jetez une oreille sur ce groupe, vous ne serez pas déçus du voyage.
La calda e splendida Costa Rica nasconde dei segreti. Questa nazione baciata dal sole, bagnata dal Mar dei Caraibi, pregna di una rigogliosa natura, classificata al primo posto per la felicità media della popolazione (ora basta sennò mi chiamate Licia Colò), ha una parte oscura e malevola, un giardino della morte: Corpse Garden.
In questo luogo buio, quattro cadaveri animati dalla forza del death metal, si sbattono per creare un'energia malvagia che contrasta in maniera totale con quanto c'è di bello attorno a loro. Non siamo alla sagra del folklore, ma al cospetto di una band da rispettare dotata di ottime capacità strumentali che riesce a condensare egregiamente attraverso un songwriting attento e bilanciato. La musica dei Corpse Garden è un death metal abbastanza classico, pregno di una buona dose di oscurità ed oppressione, una spruzzata di melodia ed un forte, fortissimo groove. Il livello tecnico della band è alto ma mai autoreferenziale e riesce spesso a costruire ottimi riff. Superbo è il supporto ritmico ed il lavoro di Carlos Venegas con il basso fretless, sempre in primo piano, con una prestazione da applausi ma, anche qui, evitando di prendersi tutta la scena con arroganza (come direbbe Arrighe) ma caratterizzando efficacemente il sound in maniera marcata. I pezzi sono intervallati da brevi stacchi strumentali atmosferici e suggestivi, anche se l'inizio di alcuni brani è simile (tra blast beat sparati e soluzioni che ritornano), con lo scorrere dei secondi le canzoni acquistano personalità e si sviluppano mostrando carattere.
Il piatto è ricco (oppure la coppa è rica -ok, uccidetemi-) perfino troppo a volte, nel senso che l'ora abbondante di Entheogen richiede una buona costanza, tra tracce impegnative (come i 7,30 minuti di Evoking a Dead Sun) e ambientazioni che rimangono sempre oscure e tetre, non proprio un ascolto spensierato. Ma, alla fine, il senso si soddisfazione e la piacevolezza d'ascolto vincono e nei giorni successivi la voglia di premere play rimane viva. Bella scoperta.
Death Metal band CORPSE GARDEN are back with their second album, Entheogen.
It is an album absolutely stuffed with some of the finest Death Metal in the modern metal scene. From the very first track The Quantum Rapture it is clear that the album is all going at neck breaking speed.
In the Womb of Chaos is seemingly misplaced from being the intro, being just over two minutes long and falling shy of all the intricacy the band throw out. This is quickly overlooked as Portal to the Oneiric opens up (get it?) and delivers a monstrous amount of chaos in just six minutes.
It is refreshing to say the least, to see CORPSE GARDEN put together their Tracklisting for Entheogen so cleverly. It is almost as though they have created epic intros to each of their finest tracks on the album, the tracks that feature the most crushing brutalities.
Tracks on the album such as Suspended Over the Abyss and The First Incarnation are what makes the album insanely head pounding. CORPSE GARDEN have only just really entered into the Death Metal scene as a band with just two releases, Entheogen included, but it is without a doubt that the band are doing an incredible job.
Throughout the entire of the album, the five-piece band have obviously worked with sheer dedication and passion to put together some of the finest Death Metal tracks in todays’ age. Enantiodromia however, the closing title is a five minute piece that is 100% focused on creating an atmosphere, toning down the brutality of what was throughout the previous tracks, almost begging for Entheogen to be repeated.
Entheogen is an album built on complexity, weaving together all of the pieces that make a great Death Metal album effortlessly and flawlessly. With arguments constantly appearing about the Metal scene dying, it is clear to say that with bands like CORPSE GARDEN releasing albums as blistering and crushing as Entheogen, it is only making it stronger. A stunning collection of mind-blowing riffs, beautifully executed solos and vocals that will make your Grandmothers cry.
Falar o que de um trabalho como este? Brutalidade e técnica destiladas simultaneamente e com ‘feeling’, isto é, algo raro e bem improvável dentro de muitas dessas propostas. Mas, é isso que o Corpse Garden, oriundo da belíssima Costa Rica, traz neste seu segundo disco.
A começar, a produção é primorosa. Mesmo soando bem moderna, ela consegue manter um ar ‘natural’ e ainda captou todos os instrumentos que podem ser ouvidos nitidamente. Enfim, uma matada certeira, já que tal fator é essencial para uma banda que destila tal técnica.
Mas, o trunfo principal do quinteto é conseguir fazer tudo isso sem soar ‘embramão’ ou desinteressante. A banda aqui está longe de ser apreciada somente em vídeos de Youtube onde muitos mostram sua técnica, velocidade e precisão. Dá pra sentir que o Corpse Garden possui garra, e o melhor, sua música tem alma.
Com um tempo médio de cinco minutos, as músicas são pra frente e objetivas, mesmo com a alternância de ritmos. Uma pequena dose de melodia e um clima maléfico fazem as mesmas soarem ainda mais interessantes. O equilíbrio nos instrumentos também impera, fazendo que a banda seja realmente um conjunto.
Destaque sem dúvidas para as faixas The Quantum Rapture, Portal to the Oneiric, Evoking a Dead Sun, The First Incarnation e Emerald Vision. Mas, é importante ressaltar que a cada audição surgem ainda mais composições de destaque. Em meio a tanto desfile de técnica e velocidade atualmente, algo que consegue fazer isso sem se exibir, baita disco!
"ENTHEOGEN" is the second full length release from Costa Rica's CORPSE GARDEN.
This guys have been creating a massive sound of Death Metal since 2009. The band has
gone through some changes over the years. Most recently changing three band members.
This has definitely had an affect on the bands sound. They are firmly planted in the Death
Metal genre and take influences from the old school brutal stuff to the newer more
technical driven stuff. They also add in some Black Metal elements through out. They pull
in some dark atmospheric parts as well as some harsher and more raw ingredients. In some
of the more drawn out and creeping parts you can hear some Doom Metal making an
appearance in their sound. They round out their sound with some throaty and harsher
Death growls mixed with some slightly higher screaming Black Metal growls. These guys
have a little of everything for fans of the old as well as the new styles of Death Metal
music. If you throw in parts of MORBID ANGEL, OBITUARY, DEATHSPELL
OMEGA, ULCERATE, GORGUTS, CRYPTOPSY & SUFFOCATION, blend them all
together then you would get a slight idea of how killer CORPSE GARDEN is. In other
words, this means you must get this release!!!
Πέρυσι τα ηχεία μας μαστίγωσε το ανεπανάληπτο μπάσο των Beyond Creation μέσα από το “Earthborn Evolution”.
Φέτος τον ίδιο ρόλο ανέλαβε μια καταπληκτική μπάντα από την Κόστα Ρίκα με το όνομα Corpse Garden και με την δεύτερη δουλειά τους “Entheogen” να συγκλονίζουν τα νερά του ακραίου ήχου και να θέτουν δυνατή υποψηφιότητα για μια από τις καλύτερες φετινές κυκλοφορίες του underground death metal αλλά και γιατί όχι, του death metal γενικά.
Το πενταμελές σχήμα καταφέρνει να εντυπωσιάσει για ακόμα μια φορά μετά το εξίσου πολύ καλό “Burnt by the Light” του 2012. Ύστερα από ισχυρές αλλαγές στο lineup (τρία από τα πέντε μέλη) και με την μουσική τους να γίνεται ακόμα πιο σκοτεινή και ατμοσφαιρική ο τίτλος του δίσκου αποτέλεσε τον ιδανικότερο καθρέφτη αυτών των μεγάλων αλλαγών (“Entheogen” είναι μια αναφορά σε μια χημική ουσία που χρησιμοποιείται συχνά σε θρησκευτικές και πνευματικές τεχνικές και στοχεύει στη απόλυτη υπέρβαση της ψυχής).
Μουσικά η μπάντα ακούγεται πιο ώριμη με συνθέσεις τεχνικού death που σε αφήνουν με το στόμα ανοιχτό όπως το “The Quantum Rapture”, τα μαγευτικά “Portal to the Oneiric” και “Evoking a Dead Sun”, το “The First Incarnation” και το “Red Pulvis Solaris” με το καταπληκτικό riff προς το τέλος του κομματιού. Θες δε θες όμως εκεί που θα εστιάσεις είναι το μπάσο το οποίο αναλαμβάνει πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο και πραγματικά μαγεύει. Εξάλλου και η ίδια η μπάντα φαίνεται να στηρίζεται εκεί. Δεν είναι τυχαίο πως βρέθηκαν το 2012 στο τελικό του wacken battle festival στην Γερμανία μεταξύ περίπου 90 συγκροτημάτων στην αντίστοιχη διοργάνωση στην κεντρική Αμερική.
Συνοψίζοντας το “Entheogen” ανεβάζει τους Corpse Garden σε ακόμη ψηλότερα επίπεδα και φυσικά απαιτεί τη μέγιστη δυνατή προσοχή από τους οπαδούς του death σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο. Ποιότητα, τεχνική και ακρότητα σε τέλεια αρμονία με αγάπη από την Κόστα Ρίκα. Τα λέγαμε.
In Bereichen des echten Metals, um das abgedroschene Wörtchen 'true' nicht zu verwenden, das von vielen eh falsch verwendet wird, ist Mittel- und Südamerika ein Eldorado. Hier wird er noch so gespielt, wie er anfangs war, und wie er für viele Fanatiker dieses Sounds gar nicht anders sein darf. Das gilt besonders für die extremeren Spielarten. Corpse Garden kommen aus Costa Rica und sind ein weiteres kleines Juwel, die sich allerdings dort aus der Masse absetzen. Geil wie die Growls von Felipe sich schon von Natur aus so anhören, als würden sie sich noch selbst verzerren. Auch der agile Bass ist allgegenwärtig gut hörbar. Sie spielen temporeichen Death Metal, den sie immer wieder mit leiseren Parts auflockern. Denn es kommt zwischen den Songs immer wieder mal vor, dass die Gitarren Platz machen für grollige Keyboardsounds, die Spannungsfelder zwischen dem eigentlichen Gitarrengedresche ausbreiten, das bis ins Getöse hereinreicht. Hier kreieren Keyboards grollige Klänge aus der Hölle wie in "In The Womb Of Chaos" oder eine hallige Unverzerrte fährt alles etwas herunter wie in "Neux Ex Machina". Sonst basiert das alles aus dem Oldschool, was die Lateinamerikanos hier anbieten. Das Quintett brachte das Debütalbum "Burnt By The Light" im Jahre 2012, dem jetzt satte dreizehn Tracks auf "Entheogen" folgen.
Unlike some death metal albums that sometimes leave you feeling like you’ve been beaten over the head constantly for 40 minutes, Corpse Garden’s second effort gives you a chance to catch your breath. In between a number of the songs Corpse garden uses some clever and dark soundscapes to add a deeper atmosphere before the audio pummelling continues. Incorporating thrash elements, cleaner guitars than expected for a death metal albums and some devastating blast beats, Entheogen is a very entertaining and enjoyable listen. Notable songs include Sulpher, The First Incarnation and Evoking a Dead Sun – three of the albums longest tracks. These tracks give them chance to show the listener that not only can they devastate like the best of them, but that they are more than just that.
For a Death Metal band to really make me pay attention they have to be original. With all the generic, cloned crap that is clogging the Death Metal pipes, it's easy to get lost in a sea of confusing lettering and Cookie Monster vocals, which is why I don't take the genre too seriously. It's fun, and that's about it for me. For example, I think DETHKLOK is one of the best Death Metal bands to come out in recent years, and they're little more than the animated, WEIRD AL of Death Metal. So I'm really glad CORPSE GARDEN came my way with their latest album “Entheogen”. The album, released in May of this year (2015) is CORPSE GARDEN's second full-length release after 2012's “Burnt By The Light”. Now, there are no socks being knocked off my feet as I listen to “Entheogen”, but they are pretty close.
CORPSE GARDEN has had a significant lineup change since their first album “Burnt by the Light”. Three members were replaced, the band sounds better, more technical and tight. Each track blends into the next seamlessly, but not to the point where you get the “is this still the same track?” sensation that can come from albums with lengthy tracks. Sometimes that happens when bands try to stretch their track length, it gets numbingly tedious to sit through the same rolling riff for six minutes and is a good indicator that the band is trying way too hard to be unique. Not the case with CORPSE GARDEN, the incorporation of rapid tempo changes is present in many tracks like “The Quantum Rapture” and “The First Incarnation”. There is also a lot of background synth effects like creepy whispering, screaming or general ambient noise giving the album an extra push in the war to stand out in the death scene. “Entheogen” is over an hour long with 13 tracks, so experimenting within each song and changing up the riff is an absolute necessity. CORPSE GARDEN's lyrics are unique as well, but you wouldn't notice just by listening to them come from the all too familiar growl of their vocals. When read, the lyrics sound more like something out of the mind of a yoga instructor who did waaaay too many hallucinogens, and smells like a Rainbow Gathering. Like the lyrics for the track “Red Pulvis Solaris”:
“ Cleansing through pain
Reborn in grace
Mystic forces of duality
The crowning process
Corporeal cravings undone
I am all, I am One.”
The entire album contains lyrics like these. It's all about spiritual transformation, hence the name “Entheogen”, which means “generating the divine withing” is a drug used in certain shamanistic and religious ceremonies. In other words, it will fuck you up somethin' fierce and the album certainly fits that definition. “Entheogen” sounds like a typical Death Metal album but the beauty is in the subtle details that CORPSE GARDEN has added. This is a great debut for the new members and a fine job for the originals, a recommendation for any Death Metal fan.
The second full length release from the Costa Rican death metallers is in the line upwards. What in their first album the weaker points where, they evolved in this one, Entheogen (a chemical substance, typically of plant origin, that is ingested to produce a nonordinary state of consciousness for religious or spiritual purposes.) says it all, it is a strong follow up on their debut. They have evolved, if you are listening to their debut then this then it is the best way to achieve the second full length !
They open with "Quantum Rapture", the song is provided with power and a good dose of aggression mixed with technical and not over technical prowess. Song structure is great and not over done. With some interesting breaks it is a worthy opener.
The song "Suspended over the Abyss" is melodic and just grabs you and draw you in the song. The spheres they create are melancholic but still they throw in great riff's, and not to many solo's but what they do is of quality.
The oldschool death metal riffing they use is great, the harmonics of the guitar players are very nice.
The mix of styles is audibly, atmospheric like "Cosmic Sea" of Death, then becoming sensitive in soloistic clear material and with a nice bridge to pounding Cannibal Corpse sounding death metal. You will hear the technical ability but they do not overdo it.
The song "Sulphur" is starting furiously, the song structure is catchy with the right emotions for this kind of music.
It is also enjoyable that it is not all over pummeling of riff's and drums and after a number of songs it gets annoying. They have a variety to get the listener still on the edge of listening. The song "The first Incarnation", no 9 on the album, is beginning at high speed with sharp sounding solo's and pulls you in a vacuum of listening. Corpse Garden keep their songs varied enough to not lose interest halfway.
The bass solo on the end of the song Red Pulvis Solaris is a nice bonus to a great song itself and the intentions of the guys on this production !
If you like the consistent deep but natural growls then you will like this, the bass player is doing some great things, what a bit the abscence was on their debut, they learned very well. Guitar technically strong and nothing to complain about. Drums are good and the overall the mix is very good. The line-up change did the band good, they improved on all the things known to death metal and therefore a nice asset to a death metal collection!
Estos dos últimos años, mi querida Costa Rica ha sido testigo de grandes avances con las bandas metaleras nacionales, uno de los más claros (si no es que el mejor) ejemplos es CORPSE GARDEN. Su anterior disco “Burnt By The Light” que es un muy buen debut sirvió de base para la obra maestra que hoy día nos presentan a través de Satanath Records de Rusia.
“Entheogen” abre sus notas con el tema “The Quantum Rapture” tema cargado de complejidad y ritmos realmente absorbentes, se nota que estos jóvenes músicos de Death Metal Técnico saben lo que hacen y saben componer canciones ya que si bien es bastante técnico no pierde lo memorable con un final realmente pegajoso. La producción realizada por Juan Pablo Calvo en su Bushido Studios es realmente impecable, todo se nota con claridad en temas como “Portal To The Oneiric”.
En este disco todo resalta tanto en conjunto como de forma individual, las guitarras de Federico y Esteban son claras y pesadas, en el departamento de solos de guitarra llenan con creces las expectativas pues lejos de ser uno más del montón, crean realmente solos memorables a la mejor escuela death metal, Eric en la batería es un reloj, da muestras de brutalidad y a su vez de técnica y habilidad, la voz de Felipe es una gran adición a su sonido ya que sus rangos vocales para este estilo y para este disco en general son simplemente los indicados que se nota a leguas en canciones como “Suspended Over The Abyss” que es uno de los mejores temas de todo el disco. De las cosas que más llaman la atención a su vez es la ejecución del bajo, técnica y virtuosidad pura sin dejar de lado ese matiz y atmosfera death metal que es necesario en todo disco de crudo y denso death metal.
Varios temas cortos experimentales son incluidos en este disco como “The Arrival Of Saturn” y “In The Womb Of Chaos” que lejos de ser elementos de relleno son complementos para las canciones enteras de la banda sirviendo de enlace para ese propósito que tiene CORPSE GARDEN con este nuevo disco, crear una experiencia sónica original en su totalidad, de principio a fin en los 62 minutos que dura este álbum, esto además deja ver claramente influencias Jazz y progresivas en los muchos elementos que este complejo y memorable disco presenta. Otros temas destacados son “Evoking A Dead Sun”, “A Balance Of Opposites” (que tiene un aire Morbid Angel destacado) y “The Emerald Vision” que tiene el mejor solo de todo el álbum (aunque aún lo pongo en competencia con el solo de “Suspended Over The Abyss”).
Les puedo decir que CORPSE GARDEN a parido una verdadera obra maestra de death metal técnico que no tiene que envidiarle a nadie de las grandes ligas, definitivamente unos de los mejores discos de metal en la historia de América Latina, un gran futuro les repara a estos jóvenes que tienen un horizonte muy claro de frente. Obligatorio de tener.
I costaricani Corpse Garden hanno pubblicato un secondo album da leccarsi i baffi! Dopo aver dato vita nel 2012 a quella convincente prova intitolata "Burn By The Light", il quintetto proveniente da Heredia si ripresenta a tre anni di distanza con un nuovo lavoro che ne consolida le basi e mette in mostra la maturazione di un suono capace di incarnare la parte oscura e brutale dell'area death metal, infettandola con un uso calibrato e mai troppo appariscente delle melodie.
Se proprio volessimo tirare in ballo nomi di riferimento, li si potrebbe immaginare come una malsana unione di Morbid Angel, Deicide, Vital Remains, Brutality e Death, ai quali si aggiungono brevi e sparse divagazioni in campo svedese stile At The Gates e uno strano quanto perverso feeling psichedelico-rituale. "Entheogen" non è un disco semplice da assimilare, è morboso, strisciante e costantemente avvolto da un manto atmosferico che lo rende ancora più cupo, cattivo e venefico, tratti esposti in maniera eccelsa in tracce come "Suspended Over The Abyss" e "Sulphur". Il gruppo non rinuncia comunque all'uso dei più classici e sostanziosi mid-tempo (la corpulenta "Portal To The Oneiric") e a movenze incalzanti ("The Quantum Rapture", "Evoking A Dead Sun" e "Red Pulvis Solaris").
I Corpse Garden sono una gran bella band, estremamente preparata per ciò che concerne l'esecuzione tecnica, con ottime prestazioni sia dei chitarristi Federico Gutierrez ed Esteban Sancho — veramente bravi nell'impostare le ritmiche quanto nell'infarcire i brani di efficienti e gustose divagazioni solistiche — che del bassista Carlos Venega, autore di una prova maiuscola, libero di ritagliarsi ampi spazi e ben presente all'interno del mix. Anche dal punto di vista compositivo non sono da meno e si dimostrano più di una spanna al di sopra dei tanti capaci di attingere alla fonte del death metal ma non altrettanto nell'apportare varianti — o quantomeno carattere — a schemi già noti; traguardo che invece è stato raggiunto dai Sudamericani.
La proposta di "Entheogen" è complessivamente ostica: le scelte sonore eteree e diluite che s'inframezzano ai ficcanti e velenosi assalti insieme con la produzione che volutamente dà rilievo al suggestivo operato del basso sono le armi distintive che potrebbero motivare l'acquisto diretto; oppure potrebbero risultare sfiancanti deterrenti per coloro i quali preferiscono fruire di prestazioni meno avvinghianti ed elaborate. In pratica, non vi rimane altro da fare che ascoltare i Corpse Garden e capire se e come verranno digeriti dal vostro orecchio.
Οι Corpse Garden μας έρχονται από τη Costa Rica και μετά το πολύ δυνατό ντεμπούτο τους που ακούει στο όνομα "Burnt By The Light" (2012), με το δεύτερο full length τους "Entheogen", έρχονται να μας αποδείξουν ότι η εν λόγω μπάντα θα χαρίσει πολύ καλές στιγμές στους οπαδούς του είδους όσο περνάνε τα χρόνια και εξελίσσονται μουσικά.
Στην πρώτη ακρόαση μου δόθηκε η εντύπωση ότι έχουμε να κάνουμε με μια μπάντα οι οποία έχει αφομοιωθεί από τις επιρροές της τόσο ώστε να μην μπορεί να προσφέρει μια πιο προσωπική "νότα" στον ήχο της. Δεν χρειάστηκε όμως πολύς χρόνος για να καταλάβω ότι εδώ έχουμε να κάνουμε με μια πολύ σοβαρή και προσεγμένη δουλειά. Μια δουλειά η οποία έχει χαρακτήρα και στο άκουσμά της θα τραβήξει τόσο την προσοχή οπαδών σχημάτων όπως οι Vader και οι Morbid Angel, όσο και αυτών που δεν αρκούνται στο να ακούνε μια καλή "αντιγραφή" παλιών κυκλοφοριών.
Το πρώτο στοιχείο που πρόσεξα είναι ο πρωταγωνιστικός ρόλος του μπάσου στην μουσική των Corpse Garden. Κάτι το οποίο δεν το βλέπεις πλέον συχνά στις καινούριες κυκλοφορίες και από την στιγμή που ο ρόλος του δεν είναι απλά να παίζει τονικές και να "γεμίζει" τα κομμάτια, με βρίσκει απόλυτα σύμφωνο. Κάποια από τα πολλά σημεία που το μπάσο έχει την "τιμητική" του είναι το "Evoking a Dead Sun" (για το οποίο θα γίνει λόγος και πιο κάτω αφού πρόκειται για ένα από τα "διαμάντια" του δίσκου), το "Red Pulvis Solaris" και το "Sulphur".
Το πολύ καλό αποτέλεσμα όμως δεν έγκειται μόνο στο πόσο καλή δουλειά έχει γίνει στο μπάσο. Οι κιθάρες έχουν και αυτές μια πολύ δυναμική παρουσία προσφέροντας, εκτός από τα κλασικά "Vaderιστικα" riffs, άλλες φορές λίγο πιο progressive στιγμές και άλλες φορές riffs που σου φέρνουν στο μυαλό την πιο "μελωδική" σκηνή. Όλα αυτά λοιπόν σε συνδυασμό με το πολύ καλό Drumming του Erick Mejia και τα αδιαμφισβήτητα καλοδουλεμένα φωνητικά του Felipe Tencio συνθέτουν την καινούρια κυκλοφορία των Corpse Garden που ακούει στο όνομα "Entheogen".
Οφείλω να αναφερθώ βέβαια και στην πολύ σκοτεινή ατμόσφαιρα του δίσκου, η οποία είναι αποτέλεσμα των ουκ ολίγων στιγμών "γαλήνης" που υπάρχουν μέσα στον δίσκο. Πράγμα το οποίο συναντάει κανείς στα middle intros όπως τα "In The Womb Of Chaos" και το "The Arrival Of Saturn" αλλά και μέσα σε κομμάτια όπως τα "Evoking a Dead Sun" και "The Emerald Vision". Εννοείτε δεν θα μπορούσαν να λείπουν και οι extreme στιγμές από μια τέτοια κυκλοφορία (βλ. "Red Pulvis Solaris" και "The First Incarnation").
To "Entheogen" λοιπόν έχει τα πάντα. Progressive στιγμές, πολύ καλά κιθαριστικά solos και μπασογραμμές, ατμόσφαιρα, πολύ καλή παραγωγή, οργή, αλλά και αρκετό πειραματισμό. Πρόκειται για έναν δίσκο που πρέπει να ακούσει κάθε οπαδός του ακραίου ήχου!!!!
Screen of review.
There is nothing wrong with going back to the roots of something and trying to make your own take on it. That is exactly what Corpse Garden is doing with their death metal. They are clearly hearkening back to the early days of death metal with their new album, “Entheogen”, as it is a very raw and brutal piece that fans of this genre should be all over because it is a surprising hour long album that will not disappoint. Everything from the cover art to the guttural vocals to the fact that this shit is raw beyond comprehension is what makes this album so great as it can easy pass as a landmark death metal album from say the 80s or 90s; the “golden days” of death metal. The vocals are absolutely intense alongside the guitars that are brutal, fast, and just about everything you could ever want from straight death metal with the drums bringing chaos and madness in the best ways possible. There are even small interludes of just a few minutes that really set an ominous and unnerving feel that leads directly into the next track that is flawlessly brutal and intense in such a way that it uses those interludes to prepare you for what you are about to hear, and that is magnificence. If you’re looking for an album that is not nice, it is not kind, it is brutal, it is relentless, and it will peel your fucking skin off. “Entheogen” is the album for death metal fans looking for something that doesn’t hold back anything at all.
Druhé album korsických CORPSE GARDEN se mi dostalo do ruky víceméně náhodou. Rád si jednou za čas jen tak sednu k počítači, nechám popustit uzdu své fantazii a čirému surfování. První, co mě na informační dálnici ohledně téhle kapely zaujalo, byl obal. Hadi na mě vždycky fungovali a když jsem k tomu ještě přidal několik hodin strávených s mp3 téhle death metalové mašiny, začal se na mé tváři objevovat takový ten velmi spokojený úsměv. Pánové jsou sice poplatní mantinelům stylu, nikam se zbytečně nehrnou a předkládají spíše klasiku, ale to mi vůbec nebrání se do jejich tvorby naplno ponořit. Vynikající je zvuk (třeba basa, která bývá často upozaďována, tady zní jako řev oběti při trhání masa), veškeré skladby mají perfektní stavbu, jasnou vizi a nenudí ani chvilku. Rád jsem se spolu s kapelou procházel temnými ulicemi, tančil pod kužely pohasínajících lamp a cestu vždy zakončoval na místním hřbitově. Jméno CORPSE GARDEN bylo, je a bude napsáno na mnoha náhrobcích ještě pěkně dlouho. Podobnou hudbu mi prosím zasílejte doporučeně na moji adresu a pokud jí budou plné náklaďáky, zlobit se rozhodně nebudu. Vynikající propojení klasiky v rytmu MORBID ANGEL, BEHEMOTH, techniky v mezích zákona a atmosférických, pečlivě vystavěných pasáží.
Album je pro mě velmi příjemným překvapením. CORPSE GARDEN se povedlo zhudebnit absolutní zlo. Temné a zákeřné. Podobné kapely by měly vydávat svá alba u velkých labelů a mít dlouhé turné s mnohem slavnějšími smečkami. "Entheogen" je plné vášní, nálad, pocitů. Připomíná mi smrt, procházející davem lidí. Vynikající produkce, perfektní výkony jednotlivých hráčů a velmi "chytlavé" skladby. Osobně se pro mě jedná o takovou tu death metalovou lahůdku, kterou si jako správný gurmán vždy a znovu rád vychutnám. CORPSE GARDEN se vydali hodně těžkou cestou. Obstáli ale se ctí. Vynikající propojení techniky, klasiky a temnoty v death metalu. Doporučuje deset z deseti death metalistů! Skvěle!
Asphyx says: This album is a very pleasant surprise for me. CORPSE GARDEN put the absolute evil to the music. Dark and insidious. Such a band should publish its albums by major labels and have a long tour with a much more famous bands. "Entheogen" is full of passion, moods and feelings. It reminds me of death, going throught crowd of people. An excellent production, perfect performances of individual players and very "catchy" songs. For me it is a death metal delicacy, that I can always enjoy as a true gourmet. GARDEN CORPSE are going to a difficult jorney. But they succeeded with honour. Excellent link of techniques, classic and death metal's darkness. It recommend ten of ten death metalist! Great!
When one thinks of Heavy Metal, one does not think of bands coming out of a country like Costa Rica. Though the country is very low on the metal profile, that's not to say they aren't conjuring twisted, sludgy death metal like Corpse Garden who just released their second offering; Entheogen. Thirteen tracks of jungle dwelling, heat stroke inducing death metal that is sure to help put their country on the metal map.
The album starts and finishes with a bleak, doom-laden mood that pummels the listener with sludgy, raw guitars, strong drums, and thick bass overlaced with dark samples that add to the already gloomy and unsheltered sound these songs produce. With strong leads, chuggy riffs, some decent solos, and twangy yet thick bass, the guitar work on this album has a variety of methods for assisting you with drowning in the murky waters of this record. The drums aren't spectacular but not in a bad way. They compliment the guitars very well with mostly simple beats and progression that show how being too technical can ruin an album and simplicity makes it better.
Overall, Entheogen is a solid effort for the band and warns us of the possibility that more impending doom may start emerging from Central America if more groups start making music like Corpse Garden.
Un crudo e ingenioso death metal, heredero de los pútridos y blasfemos sonidos del death americano de mediados de los 90s, de ese practicado por bandas como Suffocation, Broken Hope y Morbid Angel, con un toquecillo técnico encomiable, es lo que nos entregan los costarricenses de Corpse Garden. Segundo ataque que a través de trece tracks entregan un blend de melodías complejas en el cual desde el arranque destaca la enfervorizada performance de su bajista Carlos Venegas, absoluto protagonista a través de las cuatro cuerdas dotando al conjunto de una profundidad y una oscuridad como pocas bandas del género hoy logran encandilar. Al margen de lo bien ejecutados de sus riffs, con esas melodías oscuras y viciosas que merodean por doquier, es el sonido de las cuatro cuerdas lo que por lejos merece un ojo y oído aparte. Y claro, esto es así porque sin desmerecer al resto de los músicos, la labor promedio de cualquier agrupación death tiende a opacar en demasía el sonido del bajo en las actuales producciones, algo a veces carentes de sentimiento y de ese sonido sucio que hace dos décadas permitía hacer el distingo entre las distintas bandas que reinaban por ese entonces. En ese sentido, estos Corpse Garden me parece que se han prodigado en poder acercarse al sonido matriz con suficientes cuotas de oscuridad y brutalidad dosificadas en medidas adecuadas y que se terminan por cabecear de principio a fin.
El inicial “The Quantum Rapture” puede arrancar com todo el power trepanador de muchas otras placas Del estilo, pero Venegas con su furibundo arresto técnico deja en claro de inmediato que esta gente no viene destinada a ser la típica banda del estilo. Existe de hecho esa presencia de riffs técnicos y con un pequeño toque prog que también evoca a formaciones más recientes como los alemanes de Obscura. La gutural voz de Felipe Tencio también hace lo suyo y con el oscuro medio tiempo “Portal to the Oneiric” su ferocidad se hace mucho más palpable a través de una lacerante melodía. “Suspended over the Abyss” tiene más de ese feeling infernal a lo Morbid Angel de la era “Altar of Madness”, en un juego de guitarras y bajo que se vuelve simplemente demoledor y con un pulso técnico enorme en cada una de sus líneas. De seguro darán mucho que hablar con este nuevo esfuerzo, y es que material tienen de sobra para hacerte pasar un memorable momento del más puro y auténtico death metal con gemas como “Evoking a Dead Sun”, el intrincado y al mismo tiempo pulverizante “Sulphur”, o ese maquiavélico “Red Pulvis Solaris”. Técnicamente lo más brutal que te podrías encontrar dentro de la nueva camada del metal centroamericano.
Davvero interessanti questi Corpse Garden, band proveniente dalla Costa Rica, nati nel 2008 e giunti al loro secondo album. Il genere proposto è un death metal molto tecnico, che prende spunto dal brutal, ma inserendo in esso elementi psichedelici, con parti spiazzanti e stralunate dominate da un suono di basso davvero incisivo. Anche il concept dell’album si allontana parzialmente dalle tematiche tipiche del brutal, affrontando argomenti come l’alchimia e le teorie di Jung sulla personalità. Il sound di “Entheogen” è molto variegato, con frequenti cambi d’atmosfera all’interno di ogni singolo brano, spaziando da assalti brutali, con chitarre e batteria impazzite, a languide parti acustiche, molto dilatate ed angoscianti, ad assoli alla King Crimson, fino alle atmosfere oscure ed inquietanti affini al black. “Sulphur” è un brano emblematico, che rappresenta tutte le caratteristiche appena descritte; un pezzo che non esito a definire geniale. Trovo inutile, in questo caso fare un track by track, perché è davvero un’impresa ardua riuscire a spiegare a parole le sensazioni causate dalle mille sfumature presenti in ogni singolo passaggio di questa autentica opera d’arte. Tra tutti i musicisti della band, una menzione speciale va fatta per il bassista Carlos Venegas, che in varie occasioni mi ha riportato alla mente Steve Di Giorgio e Sean Malone. Un album dove brutalità e tecnica, melodia e follia si incastrano perfettamente, dando vita ad un mix letale, estremamente complesso, ma allo stesso tempo irresistibile, grazie a sfumature sempre nuove che vengono colte ascolto dopo ascolto. Monumentale!
A começar, a produção é primorosa. Mesmo soando bem moderna, ela consegue manter um ar ‘natural’ e ainda captou todos os instrumentos que podem ser ouvidos nitidamente. Enfim, uma matada certeira, já que tal fator é essencial para uma banda que destila tal técnica.
Mas, o trunfo principal do quinteto é conseguir fazer tudo isso sem soar ‘embramão’ ou desinteressante. A banda aqui está longe de ser apreciada somente em vídeos de Youtube onde muitos mostram sua técnica, velocidade e precisão. Dá pra sentir que o Corpse Garden possui garra, e o melhor, sua música tem alma.
Com um tempo médio de cinco minutos, as músicas são pra frente e objetivas, mesmo com a alternância de ritmos. Uma pequena dose de melodia e um clima maléfico fazem as mesmas soarem ainda mais interessantes. O equilíbrio nos instrumentos também impera, fazendo que a banda seja realmente um conjunto.
Destaque sem dúvidas para as faixas The Quantum Rapture, Portal to the Oneiric, Evoking a Dead Sun, The First Incarnation e Emerald Vision. Mas, é importante ressaltar que a cada audição surgem ainda mais composições de destaque. Em meio a tanto desfile de técnica e velocidade atualmente, algo que consegue fazer isso sem se exibir, baita disco!
This is the second album from Costa Rican Death Metallers Corpse Garden.
Dark and brutal, Corpse Garden deliver 62 minutes of blistering and intelligent Death Metal on Entheogen. This is intricate Death Metal with a good dollop of the Technical and Progressive sub-styles incorporated into their sound.
Guttural vocals are growled out from the shadows and all manner of other vocalisations accompany them, although the deep grunts are the main focus.
The music is complex and savage, with all of the instruments having a major part to play, even the oft-forgotten bass. I love it when the bass is used intelligently and as its own instrument, rather than just for the sake of having a bassist, as most band seem to do. On Entheogen, it adds a lot to the music.
The longer-than-normal length of the songs allows the band to really spread their wings and include some good ideas in the music. The tracks feature a mix of simple riffs and melodies alongside much more complex playing; this combination of both gives the songs great power as there are moments when straightforward chugging guitars are the best choice, moments when complicated Death-esque Progressive/Technical sections are the order of the day, and yet other moments when the band go all atmospheric with added synths and other sounds.
For all of this creativity though they still remember the importance of a good song. The tracks on this album all revolve around this, preventing the Technical Death Metal elements from becoming too overpowering or detrimental to their cause.
Corpse Garden are clearly an ambitious band, as Entheogen is not your standard, run-of-the-mill brutal blaster. There’s a lot more going on here than the average Death Metal band attempt and this is entirely to Corpse Garden’s credit.
This is a garden that I heartily recommend spending some time visiting.
Costa Rican death metallers Corpse Garden are definitely the only band I’ve ever head from there, but I tell you, if their last record ‘Burn by the Light ‘ was anything to go by, they are more than standard bearers for death metal in their area of the world. Their new record, ‘Entheogen’, is out now on Satanath Records and Godz of War Records too.
This is brutal, technical death metal of the highest order, shot through with some great progressive sections to ease the weight of blastbeats on your mind. Thunderous opener ‘The Quantum Rapture’ rips from the starting block with snarling growls and raozr riffing, pinned down by a hailstorm of drumming. It’s fast, visceral and simply essential. The eerie ‘In the Womb of Chaos’ provides relief in a more dark ambient, scream ridden piece that’s followed immediately by the chugging beast of ‘ Portal to the Oneiric’. It’s good to hear the bass so front facing in death metal, reminding me greatly of Atheist and later period Death. Corpse Garden also have that unabashed progressive streak that aided Atheist and Pestilence in making their death metal stand out from the crowd. ‘Portal to the Oneiric’ is one of the finest pieces of extreme music out there this year.
‘Entheogen’ is one of those records that makes you proud to be a fan of metal. Corpse Garden take their own path, taking bits and bobs from their musical predecessors but in the end meld it together into a cohesive record that is uniquely them. Writing a progressive/technical/brutal death metal record that stretches over an hour but doesn’t ever get boring or where songs disappear under too much guitar wankery is impressive, but adding in little interludes to break up the barrage is also great. I especially like ‘The Arrival of Saturn’, that collapses into the viper-like attack of ‘Suspended Over the Abyss’. The spiralling death-prog of ‘Evoking a Dead Sun’ is a thing of beauty, while the Suffocation-esque ‘Sulphur’ brings the brutality.
If you want to hear one of 2015’s more forward thinking death metal albums, find ‘Entheogen’ and prepare your body. Corpse Garden truly embody the term progressive death metal, and have more than enough brutality for us simple headbangers too. Horns up!
Несмотря на то, что дебютный альбом костариканцев Corpse Garden «Burnt By The Light» 2012-го года был, мягко говоря, не самым ярким образчиком стиля technical death metal, на втором релизе, о котором пойдёт речь ниже, группа буквально преобразилась! Как я подозреваю, в первую очередь это связано со сменой половины состава и рекрутированием басиста по имени Carlos Venegas (участника двух других групп, подписанных на Satanath Records - Inhuman и Alastor Sanguinary Embryo), чей безладовый бас, напоминающий работу Steve DiGiorgio на культовом альбоме Death «Individual Thought Patterns» значительно обогатил саунд Corpse Garden. Что касается музыки, то точных аналогов на ум не приходит, что, возможно, тоже является косвенным плюсом, но всё же хотелось бы заметить некое незримое сходство по настроению с ещё одним культовым technical death релизом – а именно вторым альбомом Atheist «Unquestionable Presence». Хотя, конечно, сходство весьма поверхностное, так как основой музыки костариканцев является всё же более брутальный дэт, а смелое вкрапление других стилей позволяет говорить о поиске своего собственного лица на обширном рынке данного направления. 62 минуты достаточно забойного и техничного материала дарят слушателю, помимо типичных ярких особенностей жанра, также пару чисто Morbid Angel-овских «фишек» (Portal To The Oneiric и A Balance Of Opposites), эпизодические заезды в thrash metal, в практически чистый melodic death (Red Pulvis Solaris) и даже в post metal! (The First Incarnation) Помимо вышеупомянутой отменной басовой работы, гитарные соло также заслуживают внимания, но и на этом перечисление достоинств альбома не заканчивается! Так называемой «вишенкой на торте», ещё более подчёркивающей великолепие Evoking A Dead Sun, стали многочисленные звуковые эффекты, речевые сэмплы, акустические гитарные и басовые переборы, как отдельными композициями (Neux Ex Machina, In The Womb Of Chaos, The Arrival Of Saturn или заключительное эмбиентное аутро Enantiodromia), так и в виде «бриджей» в самых сложных трэках (Evoking A Dead Sun) – достаточно эффектные, сразу же воскрешающие в памяти ещё один классический альбом - Pestilence «Testimony Of The Ancients». И в заключение всем, кто прочёл данную рецензию и намеревается отправиться в это увлекательное (хотя и брутальное!) музыкальное путешествие, хотел бы посоветовать заведомо абстрагироваться от некоторых шероховатостей в виде не очень уверенного гроула и недостаточно подчёркнутой в миксе гитары. Даже если они и испортят первое впечатление, всё же альбом достоин внимательного и многократного прослушивания – поверьте, он того стоит!
8.5/10
Drugim z omawianych przeze mnie zespołów (i ich krążków) jest kostarykańska death metalowa ekipa – Corpse Garden. Entheogen jest drugim LP w karierze zespołu. Panowie mają zacięcie do technicznego grania, co powoduje, że brakuje mi trochę w tym materiale oldschoolowego posmaku i nawet wysunięty na przód w miksie bas nie pomaga, szczególnie, że nie brzmi on wcale potężnie, a wręcz momentalnie niemiłosiernie rzęzi i po prostu pierdzi. Album jest całkiem długi jak na death metalowe standardy (ponad 60 minut) i z czasem płyta się po prostu wlecze, tym bardziej, że kompozycje – które są, jak sądzę, klimatycznymi niby ambientowymi przerywnikami od nieustannego łojenia – są takie sobie i zasadniczo przy kolejnych odsłuchaniach je omijałem, zanurzając się w brutalne dźwięki serwowane przez Corpse Garden.
Na szczęście na Entheogen są momenty. Na przykład Portal to the Oneiric z nowoczesnym, heavy metalowym wręcz riffem i doskonałą grą perkusisty na centrali. Mogą robić wrażenie strzały jak Suspended Over the Abyss, w którym idealnie są wyważone proporcje między szybkością, brutalnością a melodyjnością. Ponadto klasyczne solo gitarowe można usłyszeć w rozbudowanym, epatującym lekko mistycznym klimatem Evoking a Dead Sun.
Podsumowując, po wywaleniu nużących pseudoambientowych przerywników, które nic nie wnoszą, i po wyrzuceniu słabszych kawałków jak Red Pulvis Solaris, który jest niczym innym jak wtórnym death metalowym pędzeniem na przód, zrobiłby się krótki, aczkolwiek niezwykle konkretny materiał, a tak mamy cholernie nierówny krążek, który ma jedynie momenty. Za to duży plus za fajną okładkę.
Entheogen is the second studio release from the flag bearers of Costa Rica's Death Metal scene, Corpse Garden. The band had some success after the release of their debut album Burnt By The Light when they won the Central American version of the Wacken Battle of The Bands competition and represented that region at the Festival in 2012, which would have given them some really great exposure in Europe. Since then they have had some lineup changes but that hasn't slowed them down too much and on with a new release.
And having spent a little time with this album I'm really liking it, right from the opening single "Suspended Over The Abyss" which is a blinding track, displays pretty much everything this album is about, music is played at a breakneck speed, but at the same time it's kept pretty melodic for a Death Metal album, the guitars are almost Thrashy in places with really solid riffs, nice tempo changes. Don't get me wrong here, this is a proper Death Metal album, the opener "The Quantum Rapture" grabs you by the throat, but at the same time there is something a little different from the norm here, the Bass has a touch of funk about it which changes the dynamic and elevates this from a bog standard Death Metal release, the playing throughout is excellent, guitars are flailing and thrashing away with tonnes of fretboard gymnastics, as I said the bass sounds different to most releases in this genre which is good, drums are pounding and vocals stand up too.
If you like your DM heavy with a melodic strain then get your ears wrapped around this, it's well worth checking out and is certainly one of my favourite releases in this genre so far in 2015, these guys are on an upward trajectory I think, will watch this space with an eager eye.
http://www.firebrandroxx.com/magazine/reviews/album-review-corpse-garden-entheogen
Ešte prednedávnom som recenzoval viac ako štvorminútový singel „Suspended over the Abyss“ kostarickej death metalovej kapely CORPSE GARDEN a v súčasnosti mám pred sebou ich novú, v poradí druhú plnohodnotnú platňu s názvom „Entheogen“. Takže som a nemýlil, že uvedený singel bol predkrmom pred radovou platňou. Kto čítal túto recenziu, tak si možno zapamätal, že som písal o výbornom death metale technickejšieho razenia, ktorý dopĺňa výborný hlasový prejav speváka. Rovnako tak som vyslovil názor, že ak kapela v rovnakej kvalite natočí celú radovú platňu, tak musí okamžite preraziť do techno-death metalovej špičky. Tak poďme na to. Album obsahuje až nečakane trinásť skladieb v celkovej dĺžke až cez jednu hodinu. Tento fakt je trochu odradzujúci, no uvidíme. Kapela nadväzuje svojimi výkonmi na singel „Suspended over the Abyss“, skutočne hrá výborný technický death metal, skladby sú rozpoznateľné, nenudia aj napriek svojim dĺžkam, no aj napriek všetkému si myslím, že zopár skladieb si kapela mohla nechať v talóne a vydať album v dĺžke okolo 40 minút. Názor na kapelu výraznejšie nemením, aj napriek vypočutiu celého albumu, určite sa jedná o mladú kapelu z kvalitnejšieho rangu (nehovoriac o krajine pôvodu), ich technický death metal už teraz môže slúžiť ako vzor mladším kapelám, hoc si mohli odpustiť niektoré pasáže, ktoré časovo zbytočne naťahujú album. Celkovo na záver – skvelý album s drobnými časovými korektúrami.
http://www.rockhard.sk/corpse-garden-entheogen/
Death metal is one of the most misconceived genres of music. On the surface it appears simple: play fast and growl incoherently but nothing could be further from the truth. Death metal is the ultimate aggression. Its complexity and speed are as intricate as any style of music on the planet but the discharged emotion and physical toll of playing death metal offers more in the way of punishment than accolades. My point is that most people play it because they love it.
Finding distinction in the world of death metal is a whole other story. With a base sound so guttural there are very few ways for new bands to stand out. One way could be through a unique vocalist, another is through your sound and that’s where Corpse Garden from Costa Rica really shine.
Corpse Garden have been active since 2008. They released their first full-length debut Burnt by the Light back in 2012 and now they have returned with their sophomore effort, Entheogen. Corpse Garden sounds a lot like Cannibal Corpse, which is not surprising since they are a core band of this genre but where this Costa Rican act really makes their mark is with the progressive/sludge elements they include in their music. This is stoner/space rock meets death metal! Imagine a sound combining the best of: Orange Goblin, Pink Floyd and Cannibal Corpse and you’ll have an idea of what to expect. Highlight tracks for me are: “Suspended Over the Abyss”, “Neux Ex Machina”, “The First Incarnation”, and “A Balance of Opposties”.
Although I found Entheogen intriguing at times, I think the release could have been even better if the band had just embraced more of the weirdness and toned down their Cannibal tendencies, I feel like the distinction is there, it just needs to be properly harnessed. \m/
http://metalrecusants.com/2015/09/30/corpse-garden-entheogen/
This is the second album from Corpse Garden, a death squadron from Costa Rica. The album was originally released on CD via Satanath Records and Rebirth the Metal Productions in mid-May. The album has since been on my wish list. A long list of things I would like to hear, but that seems like a distant, unrealisable dream. When, so I received a promo for this cassette release, I could erase one item from the list with a blissful glance.
http://gorger.org/english/2015/2015-09eng.htm
Leichen im Garten... oder Leichen im Keller?
Die musikalische Mitte haben die Musiker von CORPSE GARDEN offenbar noch nicht gefunden, ansonsten wäre der Überhang an richtig guten Ideen auf der neuen Scheibe sicherlich noch viel effizienter verarbeitet worden. Allerdings darf man auch bei allen sicht- und hörbaren Mängeln bereits das vorzeitige Fazit ziehen, dass mit dem Potenzial, dass diese Herren in sich tragen, künftig noch eine Menge Brauchbares produziert werden kann. Voraussetzung hierfür: Die Band einigt sich mal auf eine klare Linie während ihres Aufenthalts in der musikalischen Unterwelt.
Im Kern spielen die Costa Ricaner lupenreinen, technisch versierten Death Metal, der sicherlich nicht umsonst an die etwas zeitgemäßeren Alben von MORBID ANGEL und HATE ETERNAL erinnert. Eine infernalische Unternote ist den 13 Stücken gemeinsam, ein gelegentlicher Annäherungsversuch gen Black Metal und Doom ist auch nicht zu bestreiten - und das ist für das Material von "Entheogen" durchaus profitabel. Nur in Sachen Homogenität müssen die Musiker definitiv noch an ihrer Gesamtkonzeption arbeiten. Bei CORPSE GARDEN herrscht eine betriebsame Experimentierfreude vor, und bei allem Drang, etwas grundsätzlich Eigenes auf die Beine zu stellen, verrennt man sich gerne mal in die Sackgassen unschlüssigen Songwritings. Gerade die längeren Stücke, die mit vielen starken epischen Elementen ausgestattet sind und auch mit ihrer Breaklastigkeit erst einmal niemanden vergraulen, verliert man irgendwann die Übersicht und kommt nicht auf den Punkt. Man hat den Eindruck, als würde CORPSE GARDEN in Stücken wie 'Evoking A Dead Sun' und 'Sulphur' zwangsläufig alles unterbringen wollen, was gerade noch in den Sinn kommt. Dass die Songs bisweilen aber Teile ihrer Struktur als Preis zahlen, nimmt die Band billigend in Kauf - und daran ist definitiv noch zu arbeiten.
Nichtsdestoweniger kann man einfach nicht abstreiten, dass viele Ansätze auf "Entheogen" wirklich spannend klingen und mit entsprechender Restveredelung definitiv auf Spitzenlevel angelangt wären. Da die Band noch im Anfangsstadium aktiv ist und diese Scheibe erst der zweite Longplayer ist, mag man darüber noch einmal hinwegsehen - aber auch nur mit dem Wissen, dass die Truppe aus dem Metal-Exotenstaat Costa Rica imstande sein könnte, in kreativer Hinsicht Maßstäbe zu setzen. Und davon sollte man sich auch jetzt überzeugen, denn viele Aspekte auf "Entheogen" sprechen auch mit den beschriebenen Einschränkungen eine ziemlich klare Sprache!
http://powermetal.de/review/review-Corpse_Garden/Entheogen,26987.html
Exploding out of a relatively small Central American country better known perhaps for its awesome coffee than its death metal exports, this second album from Costa Rica’s Corpse Garden is as intense and dark as both the aforementioned should be. It’s also fucking fast!
Corpse Garden very obviously pay tribute to the darker side of the DM subgenre, drawing their influence from the likes of Morbid Angel and Malevolent Creation, as well as the maestros Death themselves. But, they also add enough of a twist to their origins to intrigue and maintain the listener’s attention.
The performances are tight and precise, yet passionate, and the album evokes the deep dankness of the tropical rainforests which dominate the landscape of their homeland, especially in its more atmospheric, progressive and, dare I say it, psychedelic moments.
‘Entheogen’ is a superb album, and an exemplar of its genre. It captivates with its dense layers of sound, and enervates with its multiplicity of sounds and the rawness of the feeling that underlies its technical craftsmanship.
http://planetmosh.com/corpse-garden-entheogen/
Yesterday I wrote a review about a black metal band from Costa Rica (Alastor Sanguinary Embryo) and I claimed that they deserved to be on the forefront of the scene. Today, we're going back to that country and once again to witness some great extreme music. This time, we're dealing with a death metal band, founded in 2008. Perhaps it's even safe to say that this is post-death metal, if that genre even exists. After all, e-bows and mellotrons aren't often added to the death metal instrumentarium.
But Corpse Garden isn't afraid to experiment with old school death metal, and the result of those experiments is quite interesting. It adds a lot of atmosphere to the whole. In fact, these instruments often appear in the intermezzos between the songs. In a way they remind of me Nile, but with a minimal and less symphonic approach. Other bands that often come to mind, of course, are death metal deities like Morbid Angel, Six Feet Under and so on.
So yes, we're in for an excellent piece of death metal, complete with guttural growls, high speed drums and crushing guitars. These guys clearly know what they're doing and they sure possess a decent sense of songwriting. 'Portal To The Oneiric' and 'Evoking A Dead Sun', among others, are awesome death metal songs which could please any fan of brutal music. Here and there some blackened elements are added in order to enhance the vile, sick and twisted atmosphere of the whole.
Together with these great piece of drone/ambient/ritual noise/whatever, the songs seem to tell some kind of story. It's not a pretty story and I don't think it has a happy end. However, it is a very interesting and a very intense one. One with a lot of variation and some brilliant additions to the death metal genre as a whole. I recommend this album to anyone who has at least three death metal classics on his shelves. This might not be a classic (yet) but it surely shows a new direction for the genre...
http://www.merchantsofair.com/reviews/corpse-garden-entheogen
Costa Rican Death Metal engineers, Corpse Garden will tear your face off. Simple as that. Blast beats, killer bass play, vomit vocals, and inventive, key riffage are all part of the package here. Although it seems like your typical Death Metal band from the first listen, they are everything but! It's nice to hear some Central American Metal played in the heart of Florida's legacy! Some Malevolent Creation comes to mind at first, then CG just seem to go off in their own direction.
The musical layout, layered with mostly deep grows, with some high-pitched lungwork peppered in, slaps you like the heat from a bonfire; get too close, and you'll melt. The band suffered a three-man lineup change in 2013, but that never sent their brutality astray. Also, CG won a contest against 90 other bands to perform at Wacken. On a side note, mastermind Jens Bogren has had relationships with the band, shocking, I can't seem to shake this syndrome that I have with Bogren. That is in no way a complaint. I swear that this man practices Witchcraft, or, in Corpse Garden's case, maybe Voodoo to possess the talent that he has in the studio.
Aside from throwing up anymore meaningless context that is only meant to add volume to my reviews, 'Entheogen' is another step in the right direction for such a young band with more talent than many of the genre's recent offerings. Grab a copy and smash your skull into the nearest mirror. Just to see the fucking blood pour.
http://www.tasteofkhaos.com/reviews/corpse-garden-entheogen
I can’t say that I am the world’s greatest Cryptopsy fan. I haven’t paid too much, or any attention to them simply because they’ve been described as technical. Technical to me is the equal of boring. The kind of metal that only fellow musicians can appreciate. But I might have been wrong because this Costa Rican death metal outfit are being described as technical death metal and I find myself sitting in my sofa and digging to this. I am not saying that I’ll only go looking for technical death metal albums now but my bias towards it have been slightly dented. CORPSEGARDEN play a kind of death metal that is hard to resist.
http://battlehelm.com/reviews/corpsegarden-entheogen/
I have no idea what’s going on in Costa Rica, but lately we are almost (read: ‘almost’, with some relativation) overcrowded by bands and projects from out there – some of the better things I recently ‘met’, and which I did a review for recently / which I will do a review for very soon: Alastor Sanguinary Embryo, Insepulto, Paganus Doctrina, Ancient Spheres, Inhuman, …
Within that modest yet, still, impressive list of acts from that Central American country, we need to take notice of Corpse Garden too. This band released a first album in 2012, called Burnt By The Light, and since then, the band underwent quite some changes in line-up. They did record this sophomore album in 2014 with recording and mixing done at the Bushido Audio Productions Studio with Juan Pablo Calvo (the latter took care of production, engineering and mix), and the mastering was done by Eri Roman at Solo Hits Studio.
This new album, for the better part, goes on in the very same vein, though it might be little more atmospheric and melodious – though such descriptions aren’t but theoretical definitions. Entheogen stands, once again, for a somewhat blackened yet highly technical, somewhat modernised (not, and I repeat: NOT, of the progressive kind) and post-atmospheric kind of Post-Death Metal, but with an increased focus on harshness and, at the same time, melody and atmosphere. I would certainly call it an improvement.
Anyway, this stuff is full of powerful energy, technically high-standard creations, a high-tech execution and a gloriously wonderful production quality, and in combination with the many unique pieces (listen to, for example, Evoking A Dead Sun, Emerald Vision or the end of Portal To The Oneiric), combined with the most powerful essence of the Canadian, American, Dutch, German and Polish scenes (amongst many others)
I am sure that this highly-technical and blackened Modern Death Metal will reach quite a huge open-minded scene, consisting of ‘fans’ that know to differentiate obviousness and predictability from creativity, professionalism and individuality. And in this case, the result gets offered by quite a magnificent production quality, so there is no need to dislike this effort at all.
Vocals, guitar riffs, rhythm section, it’s quite cool, quite overwhelming, quite convincing, and not filled with futile additions or pathetically exaggerated nonsense (like an over-produced sound or pathetically performed solos etc.), which defines my final score (at least as put within its specific scene)…
http://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/corpsegarden
Satanath Records is aan een opmars bezig, over de ganse wereldbol. Onder meer dit Costa Ricaanse Corpse Garden werd binnengehaald, en moet mede zorgen voor een globale beruchtheid van dit Russische label. Voor Corpse Garden is het het tweede langspeelalbum.
Het ziet er eerder blackmetal uit, maar in feite spelen deze heren deathmetal, technische deathmetal. De sound is vrij open en transparant, zoals wel meer het geval is bij technische deathmetal, met een voortrekkersrol voor de bijna fretloze basgitaar. Er wordt een poging gedaan om het wat occult te laten klinken, onder andere door lang en breed opengetrokken instrumentale spanningsopbouw, en ook door de injectie van een holle doomdeathgrunt. Het leidt soms tot aardige resultaten, soms, want vaak is het niet bijzonder opzienbarend. De synths op de achtergrond geven aan dat ze wat smaakmakers nodig achten om de boel te verduisteren.
Niet slecht, dit Corpse Garden, al vind ik de vergelijkingen met onder andere Morbid Angel wat te hoog gegrepen. Bonuspunten voor het artwork en de tekstuele inhoud, dat dan weer wel.
http://www.zwaremetalen.com/recensie/33476/Corpse-Garden-Entheogen.html
Sarà che comincio ad avere una certa età e ricordo il tape-trading ai tempi dell'adolescenza ma ho sempre nutrito un fascino particolare per le realtà di metal estremo provenienti dalle parti più disparate del mondo. Ebbene, i Corpse Garden vengono dal Costa Rica e tre anni fa hanno pubblicato un esordio palesemente influenzato da Morbid Angel e Deicide con qualche richiamo ai Malevolent Creation. Ci sarebbe già da divertirsi ma la maturazione tecnica dei ragazzi li ha portati a ingigantire il basso e spingersi su tempistiche più dilatate. Le iniziali 'The Quantum Rapture' e 'In The Womb Of Chaos' lasciano subito intendere che la band propende per atmosfere opprimenti e oscure esaltate da uno dei mixaggi più grezzi e organici che abbia sentito da anni. La più cadenzata 'Portal To The Oneiric' è arricchita da due stupendi assoli di chitarra ma sono le micidiali 'Sulphur' e 'Red Pulvis Solaris' a mettere in evidenza le qualità di Federico Gutierrez e Esteban Sancho. Il growl vecchia scuola di Felipe Tencio completa un quadro in cui il coraggio compensa la dedizione al passato e la differenza di budget con le grandi uscite del genere non viene quasi mai percepita. Provate a fare saggiare 'Entheogen' al vostro stereo e non ve ne pentirete.
http://www.suffissocore.com/portal/review/9412/corpse+garden-entheogen
Walk with me in the garden. This is Tech Death Thursday.
But first, check out these newsly bits:
Yes, it’s a Toilet Tuesday repost, but Abhorrent Decmiation has a new album out tomorrow and it’s got me frothing at the loins.
Techgrind is apparently a thing, and I guess Vaulting do it pretty well. Check out “Deine Hässlichkeit” and hang onto your butts.
This week on bands named by mashing two unrelated words together: Hedonistic Exility. I’m not sure how one can be excessive in their smallness, but at least “Overshadowed” brings us some prime weedlies.
Killitorous has a guitar playthrough video of a new song. Hope you’re ready for a hoedown.
Poor Jack Bauer. I stole his thunder back in May when I covered Corpse Garden on Toilet Tuesday, and here I’m about to do it again on the column that used to be his. I guess that’s what you get for NOT STAYING TECH! SHAME HIM!
…*ahem* Uh, anyway, Corpse Garden. I feel like Entheogen has been a shamefully overlooked album amidst the vast seas of new music this year, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s one of those albums that’s hard to pigeonhole into a specific genre; it’s too refined to sound like OSDM, too chaotic for melodeath, and not noodly enough to be pure tech death. This is in no way a bad thing, though; they certainly stand out from the rest. From the guitar tone to that distinctive fretless bass sound to the flow of the songs, Corpse Garden are their own entity.
The lyrics seem to follow the story of a man seeking power through occult knowledge, and the music carries this theme forward as much as the words themselves. Guitars spiral and wind through alien passages, occasionally slowing down for punishing headbanging riffs and ghostly static/noise segments. The bassist takes full advantage of his instrument, incorporating slides and quarter-steps in ways that couldn’t be achieved on a standard bass. This eldritch sound is purveyed through the melodies themselves, with songs often starting off in a more straightforward manner and gradually getting stranger. “Portal to the Oneiric” is one of the best examples of this evolution, opening with an absolutely crushing groove and finishing in a haunting mist of thick guitar noise. Some songs veer more towards one extreme or the other, but they’re all damned brilliant.
If you like what you heard, then show these guys some love on their Facebook page. Entheogen is available digitally from the band themselves, on CD through Sevared and Satanath, and will be on cassette through Third Eye Temple and Godz of War.
http://www.toiletovhell.com/tech-death-thursday-corpse-garden/
Dal Sud America, per la precisione dal Costa Rica, giungono al loro secondo lavoro “Entheogen” i Corpse Garden, ottima band di Death Metal tecnico, interessante sotto molti punti di vista. I Nostri tessono un Metallo Di Morte di scuola tipicamente americana, con tendenze al brutal, ma spesso anche con divagazioni prettamente europee. La perizia tecnica è il loro punto di forza, il lavoro è ottimamente pensato e per quanto non brillino di originalità a tutti i costi, si fanno apprezzare fino alla fine.
Un album “Entheogen” che mi ha fatto ricordare i fasti di molti mostri sacri del passato, sia per voglia di fare che per intensità delle canzoni. Nel loro DNA si sentono spesso echi di Cannibal Corpse, Vader, Sinister, i Death del primo periodo ed in alcuni frangenti le armonie asimmetriche dei primi Hate Eternal. Il tutto è filtrato da una tecnica esecutiva di prim'ordine, in cui il ruolo svolto dalle chitarre è sorretto da una sezione ritmica “con le palle quadrate”. Fenomenale il ruolo del basso di Carlos Venegas che con la batteria di Erick Mejia, riesce a sorreggere senza problemi l'intera struttura delle canzoni, con un gusto ed un groove veramente di grandissimo spessore. Le asce di Esteban Sancho e Federico Gutierrez impreziosiscono il lavoro con assoli malati e morbosi di scuola floridiana, macinando ritmiche molto precise ed intrise di un certo gusto restò che arricchisce il tessuto connettivo del lavoro. Il growl di Felipe Tencio è catacombale e di ottima fattura, quindi perfettamente in linea con il resto della band, rientrando perfettamente nei canoni del genere. Le liriche, per quanto a volte interessanti e a tratti anche originali, cercano di discostarsi dai clichè, e sporadicamente lo fanno anche, ma restano comunque in secondo piano rispetto alla componente strumentale. La produzione è compatta, i suoni sono ben definiti, anche se il suono delle chitarre resta un pò scuro, risulta comunque perfettamente comprensibile. Anche la batteria suona bene, senza quel fastidioso effetto “trigger” (eccetto per la doppia cassa, purtroppo) che ne appiattisce la dinamica e ne penalizza l'ascolto.
Era un po' che non sentivo un lavoro così omogeneo ed allo stesso tempo interessante. Purtroppo è difficile al giorno d'oggi rendere accattivante un genere, come quello del Death Metal con derive Brutal, che spesso si contorce su se stesso, con composizioni che per quanto ben eseguite, spesso si sfilacciano perdendosi per la via., cosa che invece i Corpse Garden evitano magistralmente. Infatti riescono a mantenere l'attenzione alta dando un senso alle loro composizioni, che per quanto molto tecniche ed a volte un pò ostiche, riescono ad essere vincenti e complete. Ho particolarmente apprezzato gli intarsi di tastiera e gli intermezzi acustico-strumentali nello svolgersi dell'album, che hanno reso l'ascolto più gradevole e reso le tracce più coinvolgenti, evitando quella sgradevole sensazione di noia che spesso attanaglia lavori anche più blasonati. Insomma, un prodotto veramente valido, che onestamente non inventa niente, ma che risulta per gli amanti del genere un must-have, anche solo per arricchire la propria collezione (o playlist) di tanto (in)sano death metal come non se ne sentiva da un po'. Ottimo lavoro!
http://heavymetalmaniaczine.blogspot.ru/2016/01/corpse-garden-entheogen.html?spref=fb
I have noticed a re-occurring thing in heavy metal these days. Bands feel inclined to release albums that last for over an hour like it is value for money. Sadly for most bands it means that their music drags on and becomes fairly stale within a couple of listens. In case of the death metal band CORPSE GARDEN, their album ENTHEOGEN feels like the band have strapped two very good albums together.
Fans of the genre are going to love songs like PORTAL TO THE ONEIRIC and EVOKING A DEAD SUN. The vocals sound mean, the drums are booming and the guitars are smooth and heavy. In fact the music is good enough to stand next to some of the sub-genres heavy weights and that to me says a lot. THE FIRST INCARNATION might be seven minutes long but it packs one mighty punch and does not let down for a second. The guitar tone on the song A BALANCE OF OPPOSITES is just beautiful, a delightful raw tone that wreaks of the old school.
On topic of the sixty three minute album length. Death metal is really good in short bursts. It preserves the power of the music without it become dull or numbing. The band have released a set of very well made songs that sound amazing. But the extended album length really holds it back. It is a crying shame too because each song is a winner and had they had more room to breath, I would feel a lot more positive about ENTHEOGEN.
If it wasn’t for the problem mentioned above, I would of said this is one of the better death metal albums I have heard in the past year. In some respects it still is and nothing can change that. I applaud the band for making such a nice sounding death metal album. There is some nice extra flavours that keep the music from sounding ordinary and it is definitely worth picking up.
http://demonszone.com/albums/corpse-garden/entheogen/
Нет, друзья, это вовсе не то, о чём кто-то из вас мог бы подумать. К деятельности весьма известного в определённых кругах господина, взявшего себе прозвище, созвучное группировке психоактивных субстанций, данный текст не имеет никакого отношения. Просто мы продолжаем нашу летопись, посвящённую релизам молодого, но отменно зарекомендовавшего себя издающего музыкального лейбла Satanath Records. И на очереди у нас второй полноформатный альбом формации Corpse Garden, мясников из Коста-Рики.
Старинная поговорка гласит: встречают по одёжке, провожают по уму. Вполне уместно применить народную мудрость и в данном случае: рассматривая обложку альбома, ваш покорный слуга меньше всего ожидал услышать то, что в итоге услышал. В самом деле, наличие на заглавной иллюстрации угрожающе ощерившегося змея, гипнотизирующей спирали смерча и загадочной символики чаще всего обещают лакомый кусочек для поклонников лютой чернухи. Тем удивительнее было почти что без всяких прелюдий оказаться погребённым под шквалом канонады настоящей музыкальной смерти!
Да, друзья, поклонники, автор не побоится этого слова, сокрушительного дэт-метала почти наверняка найдут что-то интересное для себя в этом альбоме. Этому способствует одно немаловажное обстоятельство: внимания данному релизу на просторах социальной сети ВК уделено просто преступно мало, что очень и очень расстраивает. Странно это и очень опрометчиво, что мы и стараемся хоть немного исправить.
Ребята, это очень интересный альбом. Да, именно так. Ин-те-рес-ный! Вашему покорному слуге не так уж часто встречались на жизненном пути творения, хронометраж которых переваливал за отметку 60 минут и которые, при этом, не отпускали с первого и до последнего мгновения. Этот - один из них.
Классный, классный материал. Отточенная, высокопрофессиональная рубка, как раз та самая разновидность техничного дэта, что так нравится автору этой новости. Здесь нет непрекращающегося, сверлящего мозг пиликанья или ежесекундных ритмических сбивок. Но всё же это по-настоящему сложная для исполнения музыка, требующая отменного владения инструментами.
О, по последнему пункту здесь всё более чем в порядке. Горячие тико чрезвычайно убедительны и компетентны в вопросах создания музыкального крошева. Причём всё, не получается выделить пресловутое слабое звено. Возможно, до планочки "абсолютно зверски" материал и не дотягивает, но здесь нашлось место и оголтелому бластингу, и пулемётной дроби кардана, и весьма разноплановому риффингу (который далеко не ограничивается лишь рамками дэт-метала), и великолепным многоходовкам по длиннющему грифу бас-гитары, и выгодной конкуренции вокальных партий (только экстремальных, никакого чистоголосого пения, будьте покойны).
А ещё по соседству с каждой песней нашлось место интерлюдиям(последние звучат как между номерами альбома, так и непосредственно в них самих). И это как раз тот редчайший случай, когда не тянет перемотать затянувшуюся тягомотину, досадливо морщась и ругательски ругаясь за нарушение динамики. К дьяволу динамику, если она будет нарушаться так - опять это слово! - интересно, уместно, а временами ещё и красиво! По скромному разумению пишущего эти строки, вот он, высший профессионализм - суметь сохранить целостность и мощь брутально-адской машины, доукомплектовав её порой совершенно неуместными (казалось бы) запчастями.
В довершение всего, это навороченное великолепие ещё и столь же великолепно звучит! Жёстко, чётко, очень насыщенно и, что очень радует, без излишней вылизанности. По скромному разумению вашего покорного слуги, идеально - или максимально близко к этому, а уж соглашаться с подобной оценкой или нет - дело сугубо индивидуальное.
В заключение хочется сказать пару слов об оформлении физического носителя альбома. Можно смело заявить, что пока это лучший релиз Satanath в данном отношении (подразумевается, из тех, с которыми удалось ознакомиться, разумеется). Пусть здесь нет каких-то заоблачных по уровню выполнения иллюстраций на каждой странице буклета, тем не менее, выглядит всё очень и очень достойно. Плотная бумага, внятная полиграфия, двенадцать страниц, монохромная серебристо-золотистая цветовая гамма. Тексты песен и краткая информация о создании альбома прилагаются.
Что ещё для счастья надо? Правильно - послушать, наконец! Итак, приступаем: Corpse Garden, релиз "Entheogen", год выпуска 2015.
https://vk.com/wall-51431010_2172
Egy Tetemkert nevű bandát elsőre biztosan hullahegyekkel és mészárlással hoznék összefüggésbe, na meg az ezzel járó, kötelezően stílushelyes aprítással, mint kilencvennyolcezer másik banda esetében. „Azt azért mégsem!” – mondhatná a Costa Rica-i zenekar, akik majd bolondok lesznek beállni a sor végére. Szóval, csalóka a latin-amerikai csapat neve, de ez számomra csak kellemes meglepetés.
A zene minősége és egyéniségre való törekvése, az esetek többségében, egyenesen arányos a szövegekével. Az utóbbi mintegy ablakot nyit a csapat igényességére, vagy annak hiányára, elveire, így könnyebb helyén kezelni egy adott zenekart. Persze, ha valaki manapság zombikról ír, még nyilván nem zárja ki, hogy jól csinálja, amit csinál, és a nagyon művészi(nek szánt) szövegek is lehetnek szánalmasak. Ezzel az okfejtéssel oda akarok kilyukadni, hogy a szövegkönyvre vetett néhány pillantás után már sejtettem, hogy a fiúk szándékai komolyak, amit én mindig örömmel veszek tudomásul. Bizakodva neki is vágtam az ötösfogat második anyagának, és nem ért csalódás. Általában, ha a „technikás death metal” címkébe botlok, már előre félek az elviselhetetlen mennyiségű hangjegyek fojtogató indáitól és az olyan zenészektől, akik a tudásukat egyszerre kívánják a fejemre zúdítani. A Corpse Garden legénysége azonban ennél jóval bölcsebb, mert ők úgy döntöttek, hogy inkább dalokat írnak, amelyekben az old-school jelleg éppúgy benne van, mint a mértékkel hozzáadott technikás játék. Ha a hangszeres tudás adott, death metalban relatíve könnyű beleesni a korrektnek nevezhető, de a tucattermékek óceánjából ki nem emelkedő album hibájába, így külön dicséretes, hogy a Corpse Garden képes volt ezt a csapdát elkerülni.
Már az első dalban feltűnik, hogy a fretless basszusgitár a lemez legfontosabb eszköze. Carlos Venegas úgy kezeli ezt a hangszert, mintha Steve DiGiorgio lenne a legnagyobb példaképe, és az Individual Thought Patterns lemezzel feküdne és kelne. Színező szándékkal, szintetizátorral generált különböző hangok is feltűnnek itt-ott a háttérben, különböző effektek jelennek meg a dalokban, de ezek csak árnyalatok, domináns szerepük többnyire az átkötő elemekben jelenik meg. A Portal to the Oneiric című tétel, például, egy észveszejtő, húrtépő hangorkánba torkollik, amelyet hangulatos, de baljós szólamok egészítenek ki. Kimondottan érdekes. Hasonlóan izgalmas befejezésre a The First Incarnationben figyeltem fel. Az előbb említett Portal… pedig egyenesen az egyik kedvencem a lemezről, a nyitó riffekről egy pillanatra az Opeth Master’s Apprentices kezdése ugrott be, de a hasonlóság minimális, az ötlet viszont nagyszerű, a bőgő játéka pedig nagyon hamar meggyőzi az embert.
Elsőre kicsit soknak tűnt ez a 62 perc, death metalról lévén szó, de aztán el kellett ismernem, hogy nem a megalománia vezette őket egy órán kívülre. Pontosan tudták, hogy a hallgató könnyen eltelhet vele, így négy átkötő darab is található a kilenc death szerzemény mellett (mondjuk, nyolc tétel éppen elegendő lett volna). Jó érzékkel iktatták be ezeket a pihenőket, hogy lélegezhetővé tegyék a dalok körül a levegőt. Nem tesznek egyebet, mint meghatározzák a lemez kedélyállapotát, és kiemelik a soron következő nóta erejét. Ennek szükségességére pedig többen is rájöhetnének. A death metal szerzeményekben sem csak riffontás zajlik, az Evoking the Dead Sun hét és fél percének közepén egy nyugodt és nagyon hangulatos középrész hallható, amelyre egy szép, Death-ízű basszusszóló teszi fel a koronát, mielőtt Felipe Tencio hörgése ― amely a lemezen nem egyszer magas fekvésbe is áttör ― és Federico Gutiérrez, valamint Esteban Sancho gitárosok remek témái ismét színre lépnének.
A lemez tempója változatos, dalokon belül is széles skálán mozog a zenekar, és ez részben Erick Mejía dobos érdeme, aki a középtempóban éppúgy otthon van, mint a súlyos kétlábdobos lánctalpak előállításában, de több helyen megfigyelhetőek apróbb díszítésekkel tarkított blastbeatjei is. Egyébként nem minden dal egyformán fogós, de mindegyikben van valami említésre méltó váltás, egy jól eltalált szóló vagy hangulati elem, ami megakadályozza, hogy unalomba fulladjon a produkció. Az A Balance of Opposites viszont a kiemelendő darabok közé tartozik, húzós nyitóriffjével, amely a nóta vezérfonala is egyben. A Red Pulvis Solaris egy gyorsabb, agresszívebb tétel, amelynek utolsó harmadában egy nagyszerű érzékkel megkomponált levezetést hallunk, ahol ismét a basszusgitárost kell piedesztálra emelnem. Az öt perc fölötti outro által kiváltott hangulat még a Nocturnus Thresholds lemezét is eszembe jutatta.
Nem tett le mérföldkövet a Corpse Garden zenekar, még mielőtt téves következtetéseket vonnánk le, de a sokat emlegetett óriási túltermelésben egy ilyen albummal ki lehet tűnni a tömegből. Hallatszik, hogy intelligens emberek komoly hozzáállásával van dolgunk, és ez igényes zenei mondanivalóban nyilvánul meg. Még a kilencesen is gondolkodtam, annyira megszerettem, de nincs minden dal éppen azon a szinten. Ámde a basszusgitáros a maximális pontszámot is megérdemli, témáinak rendkívüli zeneisége miatt. A teljesítménye rengeteget hozzátesz a koronghoz, már csak miatta is érdemes meghallgatni az Entheogent. Az erények azonban nem merülnek ki ennyiben.
http://www.femforgacs.hu/kritika/3468/Corpse_Garden_Entheogen_2015
Pozdraveníčko z Kostariky jsme tu dlouho neměli! A ještě s takto precizně zkomponovaným materiálem! Není divu, že Satanath Records na svém pokladu hodně lpí. Vždyť právě tato kapela má obrovskou šanci prosadit se i v mezinárodním měřítku a jsem opravdu zvědav, jestli se o CORPSE GARDEN budou v příštím čase prát ještě zvučnější vydavatelské subjekty. Ne snad že by kapela na svém druhém řadovém albu přinášela něco obrovsky inovativního, to zajisté ne, ovšem samotné virtuózní provedení, schopnost dát dohromady rozmanitou kompozici, dělají z alba „Entheogen“ pohlcující posluchárnu s označením „death metal is not dead“ na dveřích.“
Při opakovaném poslechu jsem si několikrát uvědomil, kterak CORPSE GARDEN dokázali spojit docela povedený vzorec. Po technické i instrumentální stránce mají hodně blízko k DEATH, avšak po stránce feelingu míří spíše k BEHEMOTH a jim podobným partám (též dokáží do tvorby nacpat blasphemickou atmosféru). Corpse GardenV tomto manévrovacím prostoru, který sice nepatří k těm úplně nejrozlehlejším, CORPSE GARDEN brilantně pracují s temným aroma a výsledkem je album sršící energií v součinnosti s duchaplnými aranžemi. S kámošem jménem „Entheogen“ si posluchač neodpočine, jenže chce si vůbec odpočinout? Doktor přes uši by vám možná doporučil CD zahodit, ale to jsou jen takové rádoby řečičky z řad netrénovaných jedinců. Zkrátka a dobře, pokud zabřednete do hudby hned od první skladby „The Quantum Rapture“, svět kolem vás na dobrou hodinu končí.
Jenže „Entheogen“ není jen o několika detahmetalových skladbách, ale také o parádně nastaveném konceptu, jehož zaměření je nastaveno dosti filozoficky, přičemž samotné texty mají hodně blízko k existencionalismu. Tento bod je pak ještě hlouběji vyjádřen prostřednictvím symbolických inter/miniinstrumentálek, jež jsou víceméně řazeny mezi regulérní kompozice, čímž se stává tvorba CORPSE GARDEN mnohem naléhavější. Pokud bych měl vybrat jednu ze skladeb, která k mému srdci přilehla nejvíce, musím zmínit neuvěřitelně propracovanou kompozici „Evoking a Dead Sun“, v jejímž těle se objevuje celá řada zajímavých ruchů (evokujících prolétání meteoritů), nemluvě o střídání něžných a naprosto brutálních partů v druhé polovině tracku. Vězte však, že i ostatní kousky jsou neméně nápadité, ovšem kdybych je měl všechny popsat, stala by se z této recenze nekonečná stať. Proto nyní ztratím ještě pár slov o grafickém provedení obalu a bookletu, neboť i tady CORPSE GARDEN neponechali nic náhodě. Kombinace černé a zlaté barvy vypadá opravdu majestátně! Každý metalista je prostě tak trochu fetišista a já sám jsem si dával obrovský pozor, abych si krásnou knížečku ani v nejmenším nepošpinil. :)
CORPSE GARDEN natočili brilatní deathmetalový mordor a hravě položí na lopatky většinu zavedených jmen, která vydávají alba už jen z povinnosti. Kostaričanům bych pochopitelně přál, aby se svou hudbou dosáhli co největšího uznání. Ovšem trochu se bojím to dalšího ABY… Aby se nakonec neupsali „ďáblu“ a nebyla tak potlačena jejich umělecká svoboda. S „Entheogen“ si totiž museli zatraceně vyhrát, a kdyby snad neměli už nikdy nic vydat, tak v mých očích se tímto počinem zařadili hodně moc vysoko!
http://rumzine.com/corpse-garden-entheogen-cd-2015-satanath-records
В этот раз неутомимая Почта России доставила наитяжелейший груз — компакт-диск, выпущенный в творческом угаре совместно Satanath Records и Rebirth The Metal Productions, что базируется в Германии. Надо ли говорить, что такое сотрудничество благотворно сказывается на метал-фэне, который беспрепятственно может приобрести приглянувшийся диск из того источника, который ближе всего находится к его родному дому? Надо, конечно, ибо все так и есть на самом деле.
Вот возьмем этих бравых, тяжелых и мрачных коста-риканских мужиков, которые со дня своего рождения оптом решили нарезать техничного тяжеляка, а именно Technical Death Metal. Коста-Рика, как известно, расположена в центральной америке, и не каждый металлист может постучаться в двери репбазы в городе Хередии (что за название, прямо чуть не Херетия, я намекаю на еретиков)), чтобы купить нормальный исходный продукт. А таковые есть в каталоге группы. Начиная с демки и сингла, а также мощного полноформата, произведенного в 2012 году. Позднее был выпущен очередной сингл, а потом, в 2015 году уже на свет был выкачен этот суровый компакт. Я всегда посматриваю на полный состав группы, и сейчас немало был удивлен, обнаружив, что в группе играло как минимум 13 человек, во всяком случае про них история сохранила записи на чугунных скрижалях.
А еще я заметил, что кое-кто поигрывал в культовой коста-риканской группе Alastor Sanguinary Embryo, о музыке которой давно говорят на всех континентах, кроме Антарктиды, ибо там просто некому говорить, а пингвины уже прошли тот уровень цивилизации, на котором находимся мы, и им уже не надо покупать компакты, они слушают блак-метал через систему ледников )).
Хотелось бы также сказать пару слов о роскошном оформлении диска, ведь не каждый день приходят диски с печатью золотой краской по черному, а потом наоборот черным по золотому фону. Да и эта коварная змеища, прихотливо исполненная классным художником, которая притаилась на обложке, тоже знаете, вдохновляет. На 12 страницах буклета можно развернуться, и потому там расположились тексты группы, кой-какая инфа и цитата выдающегося ученого Карла Густава Юнга, которого я немало уважаю. Скажу честно, ожидаешь всего иногда, но не Юнга )). Юнг — это святое. Кстати, на обложке нарисован оккультный символ, который может войти в незримое противоречие с другими эзотерическими символами, что расположены на дисках вашей коллекции. Видящие оккультисты рассказывают о той борьбе на уничтожение, которая идет на полках металлистов. Кстати, именно потому вся эта оккультная символика безвредна для самого металлиста, именно потому что они «пожирают» друг друга )).
Кажется, я уже сказал, что этот диск наполнен по “самое хочу» техно-дэтом. Так и есть. Только не надо ожидать какого-то надуманного искусственного арпеджио на трех гитарах и на одном странном барабане. С самых наипервейших строк музыканты сказали, а потом и массово доказали, что они выстреливают очень техничный, именно оккультный дэт, атмосфера которого просто переполнена дымом жертвенных костров и огнями черных свечей. Сурово, на скорости, дико, истово и одновременно испепеляюще в мидтемпо. Эти ребята знают истребительный толк в гигантоманской молотиловке, а также в паузах и умении держать паузу, что шокирующе присуще думстеровским делам, а точнее дет-думовым.
Но все-таки оперативная, скорострельная игра — это конек команды, вне всякого сомнения, стоит порадоваться, внимая интенсивному драйву струнного материала в отличном исполнении, когда гитары валят такой риффаж, что впору залюбоваться. Кстати, пока не забыл, в каком-то измерении гитаристы вышли из трешевого кокона своего развития и потому так залихватски порой угарны гитары, при том огнеопасно поднимая пламенеющие знамена и штандарты струнного звука.
Надо сразу точно и отчетливо заметить, что группа просто чуждается стандартов и штампов, набирая в этом ужасающем повествовании свой собственный шрифт и собственные размеры артефактов ужаса, накатывающего с компакта. К тому же композиторской, исконной метальной фантазией композер(ы) группы не обделен(ы), потому и оттого создавая такую конкретику звука, которую вы не могли слышать прежде. Если первый раз слушаете этот компакт. В этой связи, конечно же, группировка похожа на роскошный своенравный агрегат прогрессивного металла, который выдает на раз-два отличные звериные пассажи, а потом и утонченное паливо изумительных гитарных партий. Причем постоянно разноплановых: от внешне простых — сильнейших, как перекрытия хорошего моста, до невиданного ажура, который не встретишь на коста-риканских улицах, до затейливо обработанных киберустройствами инфернальных заклинаний, которые придают всему сооружению неземной эзотерический оттенок Иномирья. Воистину подарок!
Я специально полез в буклет посмотреть, кто там рьяно исполнял на черно-белой колоде, иначе говоря, на клавишах. Оказывается, там есть два человека, которые балуются эдаким штурмом. Потому что здесь присутствует такое, далеко не мимолетное )) настроение, так органично встроенное в музыкальное здание, что становится понятно, что клавиши здесь брались не для мелодраматического наката, и слезливого напора. Куда там — здесь истинный оригинальный жесткий дэт метал и все работает на эту сверхидею. На самом деле. Клавиши здесь магическим образом распределены по материалу, видимо использованные как супер-клей для титанических глыб тотального холокоста, а потом для перехода к более спокойным кускам компо.
Вокалист. И точка. Настоящий вокалист для дэт-металлического произведения, мощный, искренний, работающий в расширенной диапазоне от гроулинга до адского харша. Вот где эмоция правит балом, и капли крови брызгают в микрофон.
Звук смонтированный на компакте, просто шикарен, плотен, пробивающе монструозный — по низам и блистающий по высшим частотам, что превосходно отражает качество реал-диска.
Час ноль два — тайминг этого компакта, существенное время для самопознания.
Desde Costa Rica llega esta banda de Death Metal con una obra maestra ‘Entheogen’. Yo no se si al final de tanto reseñar bandas así terminara gustándome este estilo pero lo que si se es que al menos aprendo algo mas en cada uno de los discos, aunque algunos tienen cosas buenas que mostrar y otros nada. En el caso de CORPSE GARDEN me he entusiasmado con el y tras varios intentos lo he oído entero casi a la primera.
Mejorado su primer disco “Burnt by the Light”, es en este cuando dejan caer de golpe toda su fuerza en cuanto a música y letra. En este disco exploran los siete pasos de la alquimia. Nada más con este titulo y su significado vemos con el poder y el estilo en el que vamos a aterrizar. Al menos en este trabajo nos encontraremos un significado un tanto mejorado del que nos tienen acostumbradas muchas bandas, Gutiérrez decía ‘Buscamos iluminación o hacer que la gente trascienda en el sentido espiritual. Es un concepto sobre cómo ser mejor de lo que somos, de convertir al ser humano en oro. El disco dice que hay que quemar el ego y, a partir de ahí, uno trasciende como un ser nuevo, mucho más poderoso y completo, espiritualmente hablando’.
Solo para degustadores del Death Metal Técnico más brutal que hayas oído, muchas guturales, mucha bestialidad, mucha técnica y muy común.
http://rockarollazine.blogspot.ru/2016/03/corpse-garden-entheogen-2015-satanath.html
There are not many bands from Costa Rica that I would know. I can only think of Paganus Doctrina and Insepulto right now. But Corpse Garden is also from there and well, I guess this may be my favourite band from this small country with even smaller extreme metal scene. Sadly, I don’t know much about them, no more than I can find on Metal Archives, but I can see that “Entheogen” is a second album from Corpse Garden. Definitely I will have to check also their first CD, but until then it’s “Entheogen” crushing the walls. I actually have tape version of it, unleashed by Godz ov War Productions (limited to 100 copies), but there’s also a CD version released by unknown Satanath Records (need to grab a copy also!).
“Entheogen” is very long, over one hour long album and I have to say that it’s not necessarily an easy listen. And not only due to its length, but also because of the unconventional death metal that Corpse Garden performs. But somehow these sixty minutes go really fast, because the listener is hit by some incredible, exceptional sounding death metal that makes a stunning impression and keeps him interested through the whole album. Corpse Garden style can bring you reminiscences of Death, Gorguts, Pestilence, Nocturnus, Morbid Angel, Mithras and probably many more names… Basically it’s sort of technical, quite progressive sounding band that wants to give their death metal more original and interesting approach, rather than redoing something what was already over explored. And as such, they definitely succeeded. But this is also why “Entheogen” is not so easy to get into. Luckily, aside the whole technical approach of Corpse Garden players and regardless of how complex can this music sometimes sound, it still have many great hooks and absolutely memorable, stunning parts that help you get into it. More so, it is really brutal and aggressive, it is also quite fast, often blasting like crazy (“Suspended over the Abyss”!!!), so you can be sure that it’s very powerful and monstrous, with so much going on in every song, with so many dynamics and variety... It’s just damn well played and highly interesting. I also like the fact that there’s something haunting and eerie about this music and its atmosphere. It’s really dark sounding, not just in the death metal songs, but also with these creepy sounding interludes that Corpse Garden throws here and there. While listening to this album, you can feel like “Entheogen” is a conceptual work, but I don’t dare to guess more, as the cassette has no lyrics or more information about that.
As for technical aspects, I can only say that the whole band’s performance is very well done, from the bass lines and crazy riffs to solid drumming and good powerful vocals. I also like the production of “Entheogen” a lot. It makes the music sound very thick, very powerful and brutal, the bass is so well audible, the riffs are mighty... Yeah, basically everything about “Entheogen” is great, so I am personally impressed.
Standout tracks: “Portal to the Oneiric”, “Suspended over the Abyss”
http://panzerfaust666zine.blogspot.ru/2016/06/corpse-garden-entheogen.html?spref=fb&m=1
As most of Central American countries, Costa Rica is not famous for its Metal scene, but nowadays borders are more and more a limit of the past, so we can find new, good or not, bands from every corner of the world. CORPSE GARDEN come from Heredia and they're active since 2008. I'm not familiar with their previous releases; as far as I've read they released a demo in 2009 and the first album in 2012. So "Entheogen" is their second full-length, printed in the CD format by the Russian Satanath Records, and there is also a tape version done by Godz Ov War Productions. I can just reveal that if you're fans of technical Death Metal, you must check out this band. The opening song, 'The Quantum Rapture', plays the tendency of the album up since its first seconds, where you have killer and melodic riffs, chord progressions, a perfect rhythm section and a deep growler. This mixture is unvaried for the total length of the album, that is very long, over a hour. In spite of this extreme length (for a Death Metal album), it's a flowing but demaning listening, and you can find many interesting points if you have enough perseverance to swallow it. There's also some instrumental intermezzos that give some breaks to the fury of the other songs. The technical performance is very good as I've just said, but it's fortunately just a support for a solid songwriting, even in very complex songs like 'Evoking A Dead Sun', 'Sulphur' or 'Red Pulvis Solaris'. The production is positive too, professional and optimal for this kind of sound. I also like the appealing black and white artwork by Alexander L. Brown, that visually transfers the meaning of the word 'Entheogen', a term used to call a psychoactive substance in a religious or shamanic context. I'm sure that this band will be able to gain more success over their country, I feel like suggesting "Entheogen" to fans of GORGUTS, SUFFOCATION, DEATH (progressive Death Metal albums), NECROPHAGIST, PSYCROPTIC, SPAWN OF POSSESSION and so on.
http://www.voicesfromthedarkside.de/Albums-EPs-Demos/C/CORPSE-GARDEN--10606.html
Egy Tetemkert nevű bandát elsőre biztosan hullahegyekkel és mészárlással hoznék összefüggésbe, na meg az ezzel járó, kötelezően stílushelyes aprítással, mint kilencvennyolcezer másik banda esetében. „Azt azért mégsem!” – mondhatná a Costa Rica-i zenekar, akik majd bolondok lesznek beállni a sor végére. Szóval, csalóka a latin-amerikai csapat neve, de ez számomra csak kellemes meglepetés.
A zene minősége és egyéniségre való törekvése, az esetek többségében, egyenesen arányos a szövegekével. Az utóbbi mintegy ablakot nyit a csapat igényességére, vagy annak hiányára, elveire, így könnyebb helyén kezelni egy adott zenekart. Persze, ha valaki manapság zombikról ír, még nyilván nem zárja ki, hogy jól csinálja, amit csinál, és a nagyon művészi(nek szánt) szövegek is lehetnek szánalmasak. Ezzel az okfejtéssel oda akarok kilyukadni, hogy a szövegkönyvre vetett néhány pillantás után már sejtettem, hogy a fiúk szándékai komolyak, amit én mindig örömmel veszek tudomásul. Bizakodva neki is vágtam az ötösfogat második anyagának, és nem ért csalódás. Általában, ha a „technikás death metal” címkébe botlok, már előre félek az elviselhetetlen mennyiségű hangjegyek fojtogató indáitól és az olyan zenészektől, akik a tudásukat egyszerre kívánják a fejemre zúdítani. A Corpse Garden legénysége azonban ennél jóval bölcsebb, mert ők úgy döntöttek, hogy inkább dalokat írnak, amelyekben az old-school jelleg éppúgy benne van, mint a mértékkel hozzáadott technikás játék. Ha a hangszeres tudás adott, death metalban relatíve könnyű beleesni a korrektnek nevezhető, de a tucattermékek óceánjából ki nem emelkedő album hibájába, így külön dicséretes, hogy a Corpse Garden képes volt ezt a csapdát elkerülni.
Már az első dalban feltűnik, hogy a fretless basszusgitár a lemez legfontosabb eszköze. Carlos Venegas úgy kezeli ezt a hangszert, mintha Steve DiGiorgio lenne a legnagyobb példaképe, és az Individual Thought Patterns lemezzel feküdne és kelne. Színező szándékkal, szintetizátorral generált különböző hangok is feltűnnek itt-ott a háttérben, különböző effektek jelennek meg a dalokban, de ezek csak árnyalatok, domináns szerepük többnyire az átkötő elemekben jelenik meg. A Portal to the Oneiric című tétel, például, egy észveszejtő, húrtépő hangorkánba torkollik, amelyet hangulatos, de baljós szólamok egészítenek ki. Kimondottan érdekes. Hasonlóan izgalmas befejezésre a The First Incarnationben figyeltem fel. Az előbb említett Portal… pedig egyenesen az egyik kedvencem a lemezről, a nyitó riffekről egy pillanatra az Opeth Master’s Apprentices kezdése ugrott be, de a hasonlóság minimális, az ötlet viszont nagyszerű, a bőgő játéka pedig nagyon hamar meggyőzi az embert.
Elsőre kicsit soknak tűnt ez a 62 perc, death metalról lévén szó, de aztán el kellett ismernem, hogy nem a megalománia vezette őket egy órán kívülre. Pontosan tudták, hogy a hallgató könnyen eltelhet vele, így négy átkötő darab is található a kilenc death szerzemény mellett (mondjuk, nyolc tétel éppen elegendő lett volna). Jó érzékkel iktatták be ezeket a pihenőket, hogy lélegezhetővé tegyék a dalok körül a levegőt. Nem tesznek egyebet, mint meghatározzák a lemez kedélyállapotát, és kiemelik a soron következő nóta erejét. Ennek szükségességére pedig többen is rájöhetnének. A death metal szerzeményekben sem csak riffontás zajlik, az Evoking the Dead Sun hét és fél percének közepén egy nyugodt és nagyon hangulatos középrész hallható, amelyre egy szép, Death-ízű basszusszóló teszi fel a koronát, mielőtt Felipe Tencio hörgése ― amely a lemezen nem egyszer magas fekvésbe is áttör ― és Federico Gutiérrez, valamint Esteban Sancho gitárosok remek témái ismét színre lépnének.
A lemez tempója változatos, dalokon belül is széles skálán mozog a zenekar, és ez részben Erick Mejía dobos érdeme, aki a középtempóban éppúgy otthon van, mint a súlyos kétlábdobos lánctalpak előállításában, de több helyen megfigyelhetőek apróbb díszítésekkel tarkított blastbeatjei is. Egyébként nem minden dal egyformán fogós, de mindegyikben van valami említésre méltó váltás, egy jól eltalált szóló vagy hangulati elem, ami megakadályozza, hogy unalomba fulladjon a produkció. Az A Balance of Opposites viszont a kiemelendő darabok közé tartozik, húzós nyitóriffjével, amely a nóta vezérfonala is egyben. A Red Pulvis Solaris egy gyorsabb, agresszívebb tétel, amelynek utolsó harmadában egy nagyszerű érzékkel megkomponált levezetést hallunk, ahol ismét a basszusgitárost kell piedesztálra emelnem. Az öt perc fölötti outro által kiváltott hangulat még a Nocturnus Thresholds lemezét is eszembe jutatta.
Nem tett le mérföldkövet a Corpse Garden zenekar, még mielőtt téves következtetéseket vonnánk le, de a sokat emlegetett óriási túltermelésben egy ilyen albummal ki lehet tűnni a tömegből. Hallatszik, hogy intelligens emberek komoly hozzáállásával van dolgunk, és ez igényes zenei mondanivalóban nyilvánul meg. Még a kilencesen is gondolkodtam, annyira megszerettem, de nincs minden dal éppen azon a szinten. Ámde a basszusgitáros a maximális pontszámot is megérdemli, témáinak rendkívüli zeneisége miatt. A teljesítménye rengeteget hozzátesz a koronghoz, már csak miatta is érdemes meghallgatni az Entheogent. Az erények azonban nem merülnek ki ennyiben.
http://www.femforgacs.hu/kritika/3468/Corpse_Garden_Entheogen_2015
Альбом группы CORPSE GARDEN под названием «Entheogen» (московские фэны неправославной музыки бросают подозрительные взгляды) происходит аж с Коста-Рики. Satanath Records в своём репертуаре — но снова он находит в экзотических землях не какое-то влажное говнецо муравьеда, а вполне серьёзный, конкурентоспособный проект. Костариканцы исполняют весьма атмосферный death metal, делая это очень технично, со знанием того, как подать себя. Слушая «Entheogen», я мог бы сказать, что это итальянцы или испанцы, так как чувствуется южный характер музыки. Парни трудолюбивые и неглупые: активно выступают (и делают это классно — настолько, что в скором времени будут играть на одной сцене с GORGUTS!), имеют сформированное концептуальное видение группы, пишут новый альбом. «Entheogen», определённо, достоин внимания, если вас притягивают навороченные альбомы с хорошим раскрытием избранной тематики. Предупреждаю: его очень много, целых 13 песен на 62 минуты. И, хотя группа не переусложняет музыку, воспринять всё это сразу будет тяжело. Очень много риффов, несчётное количество интро-аутро самой разной продолжительности, множество изменений темпа, перескоков, возвращений, сложных узоров, психоделических фрагментов. Вместе с тем — объединённая общей темой лирика, которую стоит прочесть. Благо, дизайн буклета специально создан для этого. В общем, этот альбом — как большая книга, лучше всего раскрывающаяся при неспешном детальном знакомстве. Увы, не все страницы удались: где-то скучновато, где-то затянуто. Дэтовая часть в целом очень сильно напоминает THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, из которой высыпали сахар. Вот только вокальная манера во многом взята у американцев, и это худшее, что есть на альбоме. Отвратительный скрим, идущий второй дорожкой за основным гроулом, никуда не годен и попросту не нужен. Но в целом весьма и весьма хорошо. Отдельно отмечу качество звука. Мне вот думается: сейчас многие андеграундные альбомы имеют звук коммерческий успешной работы 5-6-летней давности. Учитывая то, что история развивается по спирали, быть может, мажорные банды вскоре снова начнут писаться на аналоговой аппаратуре, заново откроется Morissound, и так далее? Не просто так ведь в новых фильмах и играх стал популярен эффект старой киноплёнки. Поживём-увидим.
Поскольку альбом довольно сложен по натуре, выделить более сильные или слабые темы не представляется возможным. Однако я могу сказать, что к концу «Entheogen» лишь набирает обороты. Если первые 60% альбома зашли хорошо, то остальное уже на отлично — несмотря на перенасыщение. Атмосфернейшая «The First Incantation» запала в душу почти целиком, а в «The Emerald Vision» есть шикарнейшее гитарное соло. Это мои личные пиковые точки, но я не сомневаюсь, что вы отыщете свои, внимательно послушав «Entheogen».