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LEGALISE DRUGS AND MURDER · 10-16-2021, 09:33 PM

CENOTAPH - THE GLOOMY REFLECTION OF OUR HIDDEN SORROWS (1992)

Cenotaph, from Mexico, took the formative death doom rumblings of bands like Sempiternal Deathreign and Autopsy into an entirely harsher direction on The Gloomy Reflection (and so on). Now, perhaps this is a case where I feel like a band would benefit from a nicer recording. The cymbals here, in particular, are whispy and, if I felt inclined to be uncharitable, I'd say they sound like sleigh bells. I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me a little.

Luckily, I'm inclined to be charitable, because this band is a delight. Yes, if you imagined that autopsy got really into grindcore, you'd be in the ballpark. This really is a release that edges towards that "brutal" tag, though it's still as much a brass tacks OSDM affair as the other albums I've covered tonight. And there's plenty of straight up grindcore sections, complete with blast beats. But we also get tons of really low, rumbling, mid paced chugging and slow dirges. The slower riffs are discordant, and don't so much groove as careen. I'd connect a band like this to Sabbath far less directly than I would for Autopsy or Obituary.

Really guttural, hateful, evil and chaotic stuff and it's cool to see the band match the grinder sections' more speed based aggression with doomy trudges, which don't skimp on raw power by any stretch of the imagination either. The grindy moments still retain a certain weight and density that allows them to integrate well, but it's a really bile filled excercise in whiplash, and works great. The atmosphere is appropriately sickly, horrified (and is benefitted by spooooky guitar leads and, luckily reserved, use of synths) Vocals and guitars are low down in a pit.

This band really makes we want to look more into Mexican death metal, because to my ear they are quite unique in combining these influences as early as this. If you enjoy classic, heavy death/doom but want something with a little more horsepower in rotation, this is pretty mean and can definitely stand up alongside those bands. Deserves more shine.

10-16-2021, 09:33 PM	#37 (permalink)
LEGALISE DRUGS AND MURDER Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2021 Posts: 94	CENOTAPH - THE GLOOMY REFLECTION OF OUR HIDDEN SORROWS (1992) Cenotaph, from Mexico, took the formative death doom rumblings of bands like Sempiternal Deathreign and Autopsy into an entirely harsher direction on The Gloomy Reflection (and so on). Now, perhaps this is a case where I feel like a band would benefit from a nicer recording. The cymbals here, in particular, are whispy and, if I felt inclined to be uncharitable, I'd say they sound like sleigh bells. I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me a little. Luckily, I'm inclined to be charitable, because this band is a delight. Yes, if you imagined that autopsy got really into grindcore, you'd be in the ballpark. This really is a release that edges towards that "brutal" tag, though it's still as much a brass tacks OSDM affair as the other albums I've covered tonight. And there's plenty of straight up grindcore sections, complete with blast beats. But we also get tons of really low, rumbling, mid paced chugging and slow dirges. The slower riffs are discordant, and don't so much groove as careen. I'd connect a band like this to Sabbath far less directly than I would for Autopsy or Obituary. Really guttural, hateful, evil and chaotic stuff and it's cool to see the band match the grinder sections' more speed based aggression with doomy trudges, which don't skimp on raw power by any stretch of the imagination either. The grindy moments still retain a certain weight and density that allows them to integrate well, but it's a really bile filled excercise in whiplash, and works great. The atmosphere is appropriately sickly, horrified (and is benefitted by spooooky guitar leads and, luckily reserved, use of synths) Vocals and guitars are low down in a pit. This band really makes we want to look more into Mexican death metal, because to my ear they are quite unique in combining these influences as early as this. If you enjoy classic, heavy death/doom but want something with a little more horsepower in rotation, this is pretty mean and can definitely stand up alongside those bands. Deserves more shine. Last edited by LEGALISE DRUGS AND MURDER; 10-16-2021 at 09:41 PM.