Italy’s Exterminas return with their second full length album, Dichotomy, which lasts for forty minutes. Like most releases via Satanath Records, and once again in collaboration with Metallic Media, it was pressed on 500 copies, but apparently 200 copies got lost for one reason or another, so there are 300 copies left. …sorry, 299 copies in meantime, hèhè…
Anyway, this five-piece comes up, once again, with a sledge-hammering, monumental epos, and again ‘once again’, balancing in between the blackened portals of Death Metal, and the deadliest regions of Black Metal. The basic structures are relying on the essence of ‘tradition’, based on classic elements and structures. Yet at the same time, this material is timeless in approach and execution, and quite modern without turning towards modernism or progression (yet still…).
The equilibrium in between certain angles of both Black and Death Metal has been worked out quite professionally and convincing, but I do also appreciate the (limited) Thrash-edged implementations, like some guitar solos or lead-riffs. The result, and the grandiose sound quality is part of that totality too (for sure!), turns out to be a massive, timeless and still somewhat confident effort, with a rather honest and pure attitude than an experimental or playful one. …showing professionalism rather than image-tendency…
However, I am not (always) that convinced by this band’s songs, and it is difficult to explain why. It’s like the legendary ‘belly feeling’, offering me gastric juices I do not want or need to go through right now. I think it has to do with a certain lack of an own-faced reality, or with the somewhat predictable structures and execution. Or maybe the lack of memorable compositions might cause irritation, annoy or even boredom?