ALBUM REVIEW: Drifting Towards Inevitable Death – God Disease

Finland has, for a long time now, been known for being one of the world’s metal powerhouses, having churned out a whole host of bands and artists, including the likes of CHILDREN OF BODOM, NIGHTWISH, and HIM, who have gone on to take the genre by storm. The latest outfit to step off this seemingly endless conveyor belt of musical talent are GOD DISEASE, a Helsinki five-piece who have put together a debut album, entitled Drifting Towards Inevitable Death, and with a title such as that, it becomes immediately clear that the record is not going to packed full of positively-influenced, upbeat fare. Instead, the listener is treated to eight tracks that sees the band stick mainly to a tried-and-tested formula containing an intense, progressive combination of death and doom metal.

The lyrical content, heavily based around the themes of death and warfare, is reflected effectively in the hoarse roars of front man Ilkka Johannes Laaksonen, which act as intermittent bursts between lengthy doom-laden instrumentals full of buzzing guitar riffs, underlying distortion, and slow-paced ferocity and aggression. When initially employed on opener Descending Into Abyss this formula makes for a rather enjoyable listen. However, when the next seven songs pretty much tread the same sonic path, it does begin to get tiresome.

Despite this, though, there are a few minor differences, for example, fourth number King Of Maggot Crawling Flesh starts off at a faster pace, which the collective manage to achieve without comprising any of the intensity, sixth track Death Is Just A Beginning is, with a running time of just over three minutes, significantly the shortest of the entire album, whereas the title song, which brings proceedings to a close, is an almost nine-and-a-half minute epic.

Overall, even though there is no doubt that GOD DISEASE are a genuinely-talented outfit with a bright future ahead of them, the band have seemed unwilling to firmly grasp the opportunity that an inaugural full-length offering brings, resulting in something that becomes repetitive to listen to, rather than something that showcases effective experimentation in regards to creativity. That said, though, Drifting Towards Inevitable Death is indeed a solid and well-crafted, if rather generic, first album from the Helsinki quintet, which should help to expand their following, and will surely provide a firm foundation for them in which to build upon with future releases.

Rating: 6/10

Drifting Towards Inevitable Death is out now via FDA Records. 

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