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Disfiguring the Goddess – Deprive

Disfiguring the Goddess Deprive 01. The Path To Everlasting Nothingness 02. Deaths Head Mask 03. Home of the Dollmaker 04. Deprive 05. Industrial Quarter 06. Swarm King 07. Old Man

10 years ago

disfiguring the goddess 2013

Disfiguring the Goddess

Deprive

01. The Path To Everlasting Nothingness
02. Deaths Head Mask
03. Home of the Dollmaker
04. Deprive
05. Industrial Quarter
06. Swarm King
07. Old Man

[12/10/13]
[Decomp Records]

Cameron Argon is probably one of the most interesting personalities in metal today. Starting out as a death metal enthusiast in his teens, Cameron is now a successful twenty-something DJ and vlogger, having taken his electronic project Big Chocolate on tour on top of being a much sought after remix producer. In his spare time though, Cam still moonlights as the sole member of the slam-obsessed Disfiguring the Goddess. Quite the disparate selection of projects for sure, and despite Disfiguring the Goddess being demoted to a glorified side-project, Cameron somehow manages to push the envelope of brutal death metal through a bit of cross-pollination.

For those new to the type of brutality Cameron is slinging with Disfiguring the Goddess, we’re talking about over-the-top slamming brutal death metal with the deepest gut-wrenching vocals and an abundance of blast beats. What makes Disfiguring the Goddess stand out though is its almost industrialized quality; programmed drums, processed and compressed instrumentation, and an open-minded approach to keyboards and synthesizers. Not very many slam bands out there are rocking atmospheric pads and keyboard leads, I assure you.

The latest addition to the Disfiguring the Goddess discography is the third release Deprive, which serves as a staggering maturity in just about every facet of the project’s sound. The odd production on the sophomore release Sleeper made it an awkward first listen, but Deprive sounds powerful and clear by comparison. The minute details aren’t lost in muddy tones, which helps the quality riffing and synth melodies stand out as hooks now more than ever. Outside of the memorable riffs and grooves, even more overt electronic influence slips in, with choir samples and atmospheric pads being utilized as makeshift choruses for ‘The Pathway to Everlasting Nothingness’ and ‘Deaths Head Mask.‘ The songwriting is next-level, and catchier slams will be hard to come by. Cam even takes chances by allowing the instrumentation to stand out on its own, abstaining from vocals for much of ‘Old Man’ and ‘Industrial Quarter,’ the latter of which only needs a sole grunt to get the point across.

Unfortunately, the only real fault of Deprive is that it almost lives up to its title. Just a year ago, the short Sleeper EP felt like it was intended to whet our appetite for an impending full-length album that Deprive should have been, but the final product clocks in at under 20 minutes — shorter than its predecessor. Sure, slam and grindcore get by with short runtimes for being overwhelmingly taxing to listen to, but Deprive is so engaging that its brevity does it an injustice. By the time the album comes to an abrupt close, you’re just getting into the swing of things. It’s hard to complain though when the alternative could have just as easily been no release at all. Beggars can’t be choosers.

The kicker in Deprive‘s excellence comes from Cameron’s growing disinterest in metal not only as a listener, but as a performer. It speaks volumes of Cam’s talent and abilities that he is able to craft such a satisfyingly catchy and progressive brutal death metal record even after further distancing himself from the genre in recent years. Is it an honest artistic expression or is the over-the-top nature of Disfiguring the Goddess come with a hint of irony? Honestly, it doesn’t even matter. At this point, Disfiguring the Goddess is doing more for the furtherance of brutal death metal than most acts out there. I predicted that Deprive would be seen as the last great album of 2013, and I was correct. Despite its length, this is the Disfiguring the Goddess’ greatest achievement thus far and a great way to cap the year.

http://soundcloud.com/disfiguring-the-goddess/deaths-head-mask

Disfiguring the Goddess – Deprive gets…

4/5

Jimmy Rowe

Published 10 years ago