ITP V.011 REVIEW: ULCERATE: THE DESTROYERS OF ALL

BAND- ULCERATE (NEW ZEALAND-AUCKLAND) GENRE-DEATH METAL LABEL-WILLOWTIP RECORDS RELEASE DATE: January 25th, 2011
PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG): ULCERATE (DEMO-2003), THE COMING OF GENOCIDE (DEMO-2004), OF FRACTURE AND FAILURE (2007-NEUROTIC RECORDS),EVERYTHING IS FIRE (2009-WILLOWTIP RECORDS/DEEPSEND RECORDS/CANDLELIGHT RECORDS)


BEST RELEASE: EVERYTHING IS FIRE (2009)




ULCERATE-THE DESTROYERS OF ALL TRACKLISTING:
01 Burning Skies
02 Dead Oceans
03 Cold Becoming
04 Beneath
05 The Hollow Idols
06 Omens
07 The Destroyers of All

ITP V.09 REVIEW: ULCERATE EVERYTHING IS FIRE: (BTW, the layout of that review got messed up in 2009, I'm thinking about re posting the review with a better layout there fore making the review more legible, great release:
http://spak-individualthoughtpatterns.blogspot.com/2009/09/itp-review-ulcerate-everything-is-fire.html




ITP RATING: ****
PRODUCTION: *** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ****
PERFORMANCE: ****

New Zealand ULCERATE (a three piece from Auckland) floored me with the 2009 release "Everything Is Fire" integrating technical death metal, with unconventional riffing, bleak sounds capes, psychedelic atmosphere and creepy dissonance. ULCERATE amalgamate death metal and post avante garde/ progressive textures with uncanny technical musicianship and unconventional riff and song structures.
In early 2011, ULCERATE released the highly anticipated "The Destroyers Of All" an ambient, dark, atmospheric masterpiece of droning death metal.
Yes, droning death metal as "The Destroyers Of All" is an interesting listen indeed.
ULCERATE's "The Destroyers Of All" kicks off with the ominous track "Burning Skies".
"Burning Skies" is exceptional with a bleak, droning atmosphere, (akin to NEUROSIS, DEATHSPELL OMEGA, PORTAL) with amazing blast beats and the obvious and competent death vox. I didn't expect this, but I'm really digging it. At 4:14, ULCERATE's "Burning Skies" takes a dip into a slow droning, ambient doom jam before upping the ante with double bass and blastbeats, vocals.
ULCERATE's "The Dead Oceans" kicks in droning, and I must say ULCERATE drummer Jamie Saint Merat totally carries this band with mesmerizing, technical percussion, his double bass kicks are underrated. ULCERATE's "The Dead Oceans" drones in as the vocals kick in at 1:09 consolidating dissonant guitar riffing, (and not in the brutal, thrash sensibility) with an atonal, creepy chord structures adding an ambient atmosphere.
ULCERATE's "The Cold Becoming" blasts in as the most accessible track, faster in pace with a creepy, apocalyptic atmosphere, a very intimate listen. At 4:37, "The Cold Becoming" trade vocals for a truly amazing droning, atmospheric ending.
ULCERATE's "Beneath" creeps in with a strummed, dissonant riffs, setting for a dark, sinister atmosphere of unstructured and complex riffs. While, mesmerized in an atmospheric daze, (4:06) the vocals kick in "Beneath" you, unobtrusive and somewhat generic. At 4:29, "Beneath" evokes a faster pace, and dips downstream, dancing in and out of time changes, evoking a masterful atmosphere of dark, beautiful ambiance. AWESOME \m/
ULCERATES's "The Hollow Idols" blazes in featuring very technical drumming, and complex, droning riffs as the lack of songwriting makes the track monotonous. However,when ULCERATE's "The Hollow Idols" takes an instrumental, ambient break at 3:43, the tune hits home, fading into the vocals.
ULCERATE's "Omens" fades in with an ambient, psychedelic atmosphere, morphing into defined, structured chords and riffs before dipping in and out of ambient instrumental breaks and tight, apocalyptic atmospheres. ULCERATE's "Omen" evokes an disharmonic, tight stoner doom riff, riding into the apocalypse.
ULCERATES's "The Destroyers Of All" closes with the title track as each defined repetitive riff is expanded every few measures, morphing into a sea of droning, dissonant riffs. "The Destroyers Of All" vocals swim ashore at 1:39 as the pace quickens with excellent drumming. "The Destroyers Of All" riffs and atmospheres crash like waves, all devastating in their impact, soaking the listener, in apocalyptic, bleak textures, until the carcass of this doomed human race is washed ashore.

ULCERATE's "The Destroyers Of All" is a devastating, insightful and unique release. ULCERATE slows down the pace and expands on the dissonant riffing, and ambient droning atmospheres featured in smaller doses on "Everything Is Fire", relying less on brutality and speed, and more on ambient, dissonant, riffing and bleak sounds capes. It is easy to lose track of space and time as ULCERATE's "The Destroyer's Of All" feature lengthy compositions, the release should be listened to as a whole. ULCERATE drummer Jamie Saint Merat has to be applauded for a standout performance with tasteful blastbeats and excellent double kick bass drum work. ULCERATE enter a realm of post death metal with the bands bleak brand of sludge/doom influence evoking a suffocating, atmosphere of apocalyptic dread..

ULCERATE's "The Destroyers Of All" is ambitious as again I'm enlightened. ULCERATE are an epic and unconventional musical concept.

ITP RATING: ****
PRODUCTION: *** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ****
PERFORMANCE: ****

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-