Rating: 7.0

Country: Australia

Release Date: 2007

Record Label: Self Released

Track list:
1. The Invocation of Global Genocide
2. Your Feeble Visions of Paradise have Perished
3. Extinguish the Dying Light of Serenity

Band Website: Sanguineous

Sanguineous - Extinguish the Dying Light of Serenity

Chris Newell - Vocals
Tony Abou Nader - Guitar, Bass, Drum Programming

Sanguineous is a dark death metal band formed by the members of the overlooked band Excarnated (review) who are now sadly defunct, because there were apparently so many line-up changes that even they didn't know who were currently playing for their band. Reportedly, once when Excarnated's name was announced at a show, 21 people climbed on the stage to perform the live act. It was then that they realised they had no audience, as the entire population of that small Aussie town was standing on the stage with them. His worst nightmare having come true, Chris, the terrified guy holding the mic then grabbed the person closest to him holding a guitar, Tony, and holding hands they together ran away from there and formed Sanguineous.

What strikes you like a double hook from Tyson on both the ears is the sound on Extinguish the Dying Light of Serenity, which is obscenely and mind-numbingly thick. It's like standing inside a grounded bell which is being rung from outside. A far, far cry from the abrasive, fuzzy sound on Purging The Earth that generated more static electricity than an entire family of Sikhs. I cannot effectively put it in words how drastically the sound has changed, with Sanguineous engorging on the bass like a starving tick. You will have to refer to this tick illustration for a lucid comparison between the sound on the last Excarnated full length and the EP of this band that truly lives up to its name. Musically too, there is quite a distinct difference - the grating, starkly empty and desolated, no-one-at-home music is replaced by utterly morbid, stomach-churning music inspired by the Mortal Throne of Nazarene era Incantation: sickening music that will not only tauten your intestines, it will make your soul squirm in uneasiness. “The Invocation of Global Genocide” represents just that, repugnant early Incantation influenced music that is played in an extremely dirty, crude and muddy manner, its cyclic patterns giving you the impression of being trapped in the middle of a desert tornado.

“Your Feeble Visions…” begins beautifully in a slow albeit numbing manner - brilliant music dawdling unassumingly in your room like a chubby kid who has wandered off to an unfamiliar place; its solemn tone bearing the slightest undercurrent of melancholy evocative of Disembowelment and the long ending songs of the Incantation albums. Soon you are also made to hear a sentimental wail of a lead, as if the plump kid had finally realised that he is lost. The song however loses its ground in the middle due to the purposeless fast parts that are exacerbated by over-enthusiastic playing of the synthetic-sounding drum machine, which when played along with the kind of riffs that are of this song, is about as seemly as running around joyfully at someone's funeral. It is sadly replicated with renewed vigour in the title track as well, that is easily the fastest and coarsest song of all, but it is also the stodgiest. The catchy, coltish beats heard in the Excarnated album that were similar to of early Rottrevore, Asphyx or Cianide are sorely missed. The vocals of Chris that are akin to Craig Pillard's, add to the overall (dis)comfort of their music: amorphous masses of black smoke emanating from somewhere below, polluting your environment, for once to your glee.

I know Sanguineous are way too happy being just a two member band and are probably still holding hands and jumping up and down, but they have to brace themselves, get hypnotised if they must, for the inclusion of a human drummer in their band. I would also like their songs to be more adventurous and emotive; three numbing songs lasting for 15 minutes are fine, but it is a moot point as to whether their introverted music will be able to sustain our attention in the longer version of the album. Though Sanguineous might not approve of this, they certainly have a ‘bright' future ahead of them provided they get themselves a better production (shouldn't be too difficult to tone down the overspilling bass), and most importantly, learn to live in harmony. Extinguish the Dying Light of Serenity is recommended to the fans of dark death metal that have a strong stomach and are used to getting hit on the head.

July 7th, 2007