Review -Masacre - Total Death album artwork

Rating: 6.1

Country: Mexico

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1. Slaves Of Death
2. Battlefields
3. Kill Or Get Killed
4. Soldiers Of The Unknown
5. Death Metal Forever
6. Wrath Intense Pain
7. Oh My God!!!
8. Victims
9. Conflicts For Peace

Band Website: Masacre

Masacre - Total Death

Alex Oquendo - Vocals
Jorge Londo - Guitars
Alvaro Alvarez - Bass
Mauricio Reyes - Drums

The woeful effects that time has wrought on foddering, decrepit death metal dinosaurs have been well-documented over time- I need not remind our readers of such agonizing torments by pointing out specific examples of this unfortunate correlative phenomenon, suffice to say that it appears as though Genesis has finally caught up to this Colombian death metal institution. Authors of one of the GREATEST death metal platters of all time, Sacro, as well as a slew of more minor classics like Requiem and Ola Violencia, Masacre's notoriety in South American circles has, perhaps, been buttressed a little by the infamy of their late drummer, “Bull Metal”, but there is NO QUESTION that their foremost works easily oust those by more celebrated Brazilian peers. Sadly, where Masacre, along with bands like Impurity and Expulser, once blazed inroads for the like of Krisiun, Mental Horror, Rebaelliun and the like, they now appear to have resigned themselves to trotting tiredly down paths well-trodden by their descendents.

If every album were evaluated solely on the basis of cosmetic, superficial details, I would have scarce complaints about this one- the material is suitably impassioned, and executed with requisite energy, and the Erik Rutan-helmed production has a clarity and density that seems to find great favor amongst today's death metal neophytes. Yet, there is a glaring, profound dearth of soul and conviction in these proceedings- the production values are sterile and empty, the ultra-compressed kicks and snares accentuating the clinical precision of the playing. The songwriting is predictable, linear and lamentably meatheaded, leaning on speed and tuneless “brutality” as a crutch, amplifying lessons no doubt learnt from the likes of Hate Eternal, Krisiun and latter-day Vital Remains. Gone is the bold dynamism of Requiem (remember when Masacre could churn out doleful, downtrodden doom and pulverizing mid-paced bludgeon just as well as they could tenacious death/thrash? Notable moments on this are few and far between- the Azagthoth-flavored intro of “Battlefields” is but one noteworthy example), and the infectiousness/cruel, urban oppressiveness of Sacro (the perfect aural summation of Colombia 's horrifying squalor and savagery, check out that cover art!). Five spins through, this has yet to register with me, and adding insult to injury is the re-recording of “Conflicto de Paz” (here re-recorded in English as “Conflicts For Peace”), forcing us to behold the heights from which the band has irrevocably fallen.

I'm certain that many people will find much to enjoy about this recording. I, for one, am intensely disappointed, though there is a pretty good reason why I've averted purchasing this one till now. Somehow, the negative relationship that time has with veteran death metal bands prompted me to suspect as much. Not a good record in my books.

July 29th, 2007