Crummer "Deathwards" CD

Hailing from Asturias, Spain Crummer is a newly formed death metal band founded in 2020 by Cathexia Abel Suarez (vocals) and Lalo (guitars, bass and keyboards). Having just completed their debut album ‘Deathwards‘ which highlights an outstanding performance. Although the band eschews straightforward blast beats, the duo has managed to craft seven tracks and two instrumental atmospheric interludes by exerting influences from the likes of Entombed, Dismember and Obituary. The album presents a fair amount of melodies and aggression by incorporating the buzzing resonance of the HM-2 distortion and the sledgehammering drums, providing the traditional quality of old school death metal. Crummer isn’t just any clone that recycles the riffs of the ninety’s death metal though.

On the contrary, their personal skills have roots that speak of quality and creativity. Right after the ambient intro ‘Funerarium Ritual‘ the guitars on the following track ‘You Are Dead‘ create a dense wall of sound with melodies and subtle keyboards adding characteristics to the highly explosive tempo. Seamlessly the band manifests a striking approach where they have managed to raise the pace of the songs either by combining heavy drum paces or gnarly vocals. The chainsaw guitars provide a voluminous boost to the driven drums. However, the band does not stick to certain formulas. With the right amount of oomph on ‘The Silence of Death‘ offering more up-tempo moments, the intense energy of the heavy riffage is brought by the sheer talent of the guitarist and bassist Lalo, whilst the superb growls of Abel Suarez show similar aspects to bands such as Asphyx and Obituary.

‘Deathwards‘ is calculated by the persistent onslaught of the distorted guitars. While the drums often bulldoze their way through the bass and the guitars, the tight performance explodes in tumultuous fury. Another strong element of the album is the use of keyboards that provide a dark dystopian effect. Amid the extreme rampage tracks like ‘Echoes among the Tombstones‘ features some simmering guitar solos that will rock you to the core. Crummer delivers the old school intensity of Swedish death metal in the Spanish matador way. Yet there are some tracks like ‘Drowned in a Sea of Solitude‘ when the drums unleash a rapid section of blast beats. Their meticulous technicality is also conveyed by the drums and the guitars. The duo showcases their musical skills without any restrains. ‘Deathwards‘ conveys many up-roaring moments that give prominence to the sudden eruption of the drum kicks. Keeping the momentum steady through an energetic pace Crummer also incorporates d-beat and death ‘n’ roll segments into certain tracks.

The overall quality is equivalent to the newer wave of the Swedish death metal bands such as Feral, Entrails and Revolting. The maniacal kicks and punches continue to wreak havoc on ‘Chosen One‘ where the duo’s emphasis lies on the melodic aspects of the Swedish death metal. The adrenaline effect is reduced on the instrumental track ‘Deathwards into Unligh‘. Here the band focuses on superlative melodies that recall the aesthetics of Dismember. ‘Sacks of Bones‘ emits an abrasive wall of heavy riffage and begins with slow amplified guitars. The powerful quality of the charged chainsaw riffs sounds double-edged. Whereas the solos are usually launched smoothly, the addition of melodic chords and guitar solos proves the duo’s outstanding performance.

With all these elements one cannot neglect the integrity of the songwriting where many riffs meld the style of the classic death/doom metal. Crummer has cultivated its roots from the American and the Swedish death metal as they show a unique way of integrating groove and double bass into the song structure. Therefore, tracks like ‘Iced Gardens of Remembrance‘ and the atmospheric instrumental track ‘Era of Obscurity‘ ensure heavy dynamic tempos. This is a heavy locomotive death metal album done right in respect to the old masters. ‘Deathwards‘ is hewn from the modern clichés of old-school death metal.

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