ALBUM REVIEW: Aura Of Iniquity – Dead World Reclamation
Forming in the Before Times of 2017 and releasing their debut the same year, DEAD WORLD RECLAMATION are returning four years later with their second serving of melodic death metal, Aura Of Iniquity. Describing themselves as “five guys who love death metal and a good story”, they blend technicality with melodeath and throw in orchestral elements for good measure.
Their particular brand of melodeath owes more than a little to the legendary THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and, by extension, AT THE GATES, but their folding in of symphonic elements – namely orchestral strings and choirs – help to differentiate them from their forebears. This works, to an extent – when they come to the fore rather than adding little more than a choir going “ahh” there’s some interesting, classically-inspired moments such as those on Ripped From The Grave or closer Plaguemaster’s Legacy, which uses acoustic guitar and strings during its beginning moments.
The aforementioned opener Ripped From The Grave kicks off the album exactly as they mean to go on – rapid-fire drumming, ludicrously technical guitars and high-pitched screeching vocals that are absolutely indebted to Trevor Strnad. It’s a rip-roaring assault on the ears that doesn’t let up, spinning its gruesome yarn with a mix of higher screeches and lower roars that sits atop the chaotic maelstrom of squealing guitars and frantic drumming. As openers go, it’s got everything it needs for their style; grandiose hooks, technical riffing and a sense of sheer exuberance and even fun.
From this point, though, it’s clear that the band have already shown their hand and don’t stray from the path they’ve set. There aren’t any truly left-field surprises or particularly standout songs. That’s not to say DEAD WORLD RECLAMATION don’t know how to write a good song – they absolutely do – but there’s nothing particularly new or exciting, nor is there much that differentiates each track from the next. Embrace the Hive opens with a gothic piano, but Plaguemaster’s Legacy does the same gothic intro with a guitar. Almost every song opens with some slight variation on a drum fill and/or technical riff – the only ones that don’t employ a very short intro of some kind, usually on piano or guitar, before going straight back to the technical guitar work.
At fifty minutes, to be quite honest, it’s too long. Their particular brand of technical, fast-paced melodeath lends itself to shorter albums even when you consider the symphonic elements. Either that, or it has to justify its length with song-writing chops and enough fresh ideas to warrant being so long. Unfortunately, while DEAD WORLD RECLAMATION are, by any metric, incredibly talented, there’s not really enough going on in terms of ideas for an album this long. If they trimmed some of the fat and condensed the writing, perhaps by a couple of songs, this would easily warrant repeat listens. As it stands, it’s a lot of fun to listen to once, but not past that.
Rating: 6/10
Aura Of Iniquity is out now via self-release.
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