Album Review: Chronic Xorn – Death.Destruction.Sermon
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Band: Chronic Xorn (India) Album: Death.Destruction.Sermon (2010, EP) Genre: Metalcore with a pinch of melodeath This is a newcomer band from India’s city of Kolkata. The five-piece band started in 2007 and came out with its first EP in May 2010. It took a while to reach me and it took me even longer to find time to listen to it, but I finally have and here’s the review! By Niek |
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First off, how I received it. Well, the CD itself was fine, but the jewel case was in several dozen pieces. Now it happens that a jewel case is damaged after having been mailed, but this was excessive. The quality of the cases was quite inferior. I contacted Six Inch Nails Records about it and they have now replaced the cases. So, if you order the EP, don’t worry, yours will be fine!
What about the music then? Death.Destruction.Sermon brings you six tracks: five tracks that hover somewhere in between metalcore and melodeath and one atmospheric, classical intro song, that is trying its utmost to sound dramatic. Not that it doesn’t sound dramatic, but it’s really a bit too much for a band that has only recently started and just released its first EP. It’s a bit like inviting the prime minister to open your new restaurant after graduating from cooking school. You may know how to cook, you may even know how to run a restaurant, but you’re not epic just yet.
Therefore, ignore it or listen to it if you like, but don’t let it fool you and step into the next songs free of expectations. So, what about those songs? Well, tightly played, nothing at all to nag about in that department. The band pulls in many, if not all, of the common extreme metal techniques: fast-paced bass drums, tremolo picking, dual guitar harmonies, etc. Some bits remind me a lot of Metallica’s 1990’s albums, but overall the sound is somewhere in between metalcore and melodeath. These guys are good at heavy, staccato riffs, but the melodies could do with some more dynamics and articulation. They sound rather flat, which is a problem in many bands nowadays by the way. Not only to newcomers, but also to veterans in the field.
A second aspect is the mixing, which also sounds somewhat flat. That’s perfectly understandable, because it isn’t easy and so not cheap either, if you want it done right. Not that it’s terribly mixed, but keep in mind that it isn’t crisp and perfect and it shouldn’t bother you.
So, what do we have here? A band that shows promise, yes. But, they aren’t there yet! Overall I miss an own identity. I would say to the band to focus less on going faster (it’s already going more than fast enough) and more on adding message to the music, through dynamics and articulation. If Chronic Xorn does that, and spends more on the mixing, they may go far!
Grade: 7/10
Buy this when:
- you want to have a listen to five decent metal songs
- you like metalcore and melodeath shaken together
- you want to support a band that’ll likely pay you back eventually with a killer release
If you want the EP, drop me a line. I’ve got a few copies left and would be willing to pass ‘em to you for a small amount!
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