Impurity "Of Lust And War" CD

With "Of Lust and War" Gainesville, Florida death metallers Impurity deliver their full length debut after their more than respectable 2003 "Unearthly Affinity" EP on Nuclear Winter Records. Moving away from the standard lyrical themes of horror and gore Impurity deals with Hindu mythology and ancient lore on this promising albeit a bit flat sounding debut. Influences from "Satanica" era Behemoth, (classic) Incantation and (early) Immolation are noticeable through out. Sprinkled through out the record are instrumental Oriental interludes (‘Into the Crypt', ‘Vice and Virtue') adding to the overall Hindu feel of this record. Productionwise "Of Lust and War" is a pretty good if not standard sounding product from Diet Of Worms and producer Juan "Punchy" Gonzalez (Morbid Angel, Diabolic, Unholy Ghost) although the drum sound is flat and hollow sounding. Guitars and bass are considerably crunchy, but the guitars lack a bit in overall punch to truly have the maximum desired effect. The Steve Tucker (ex-Morbid Angel) styled vocals are mixed quite in front of the mix and they tend to push the guitars to the background, panning their effect in the process. The artwork, design and lay-out are fitting but nothing truly out of the ordinary. The cover art looks exquisitely old school and is refreshing to see in today's characterless designs. Towards the second half of the record Impurity tends to abandon a number of fertile ideas too prematurely, leaving a couple of memorable moments underdeveloped or plainly unused. Overall Impurity is not doing anything new in the death metal genre, but their efforts to differentiate itself from the faceless masses is more than admirable. Given that they hone their technical skills, further tighten up their playing, develop their songwriting craft and record their next album in a high end recording studio – they just might rise out of the underground. Fans of (early) Nile, Immolation and Steve Tucker-era Morbid Angel will find much to appreciate here.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...