CoC : Houwitser - Death... But Not Buried : Review

Houwitser - _Death... But Not Buried_
(Displeased, 1999)
by: Aaron McKay (9 out of 10)

Maybe it is my intense admiration of this type of music or maybe it is simply that I have a special place in my (blackened) heart for Sinister, but this is honestly one helluva debut from Holland's Houwitser. Comprised of three parts Sinister-associated individuals (guitarist Michel Alderliefsten, growler Mike van Mastrigt and drummer Aad Kloosterwaard) and one part Judgement Day (bassist Theo van Eekelen), the band's premier effort _DBNB_ is so stunningly appropriate that it transcends the imagination. Due almost entirely to Mike's vocals, Houwitser sounds capriciously close to Sinister. Not often is this as -good- of a thing as Houwitser makes it. Songs hover about the two minute mark, allowing the group to explore a more concentrated wall of sound approach, if you will, to their death/grind/thrash-core. To boil it down -- very impressive. At times, Houwitser has transparent Gorgoroth tendencies with all the tightness of a Pro-Pain or Helmet without loosing so much as an ounce of creative singularity. A unique point of sheer genius comes with the opening of track eleven, "Fistfull of Vixen", originally recorded along with five other songs to shop around for label interest. In June 1998, Displeased showed plenty of interest in the fledgling Houwitser, having only formed in 1997, signing them for a dual release contract. "War, Blood & Honey" and "I Shape the Suffering", in addition to "Fistfull of Vixen", provide superior substantiation of the band's talent and possibilities. If _DBNB_ is this good, I hope that my patients lay in wait for Houwitser's next exercise in brutal aggressiveness. Volcanic ecstasy!

(article published 14/3/1999)

ALBUMS
8/15/2003	X Hoose	7.5	Houwitser - Damage Assessment
7/3/2002	Q Kalis	5	Houwitser - Rage Inside the Womb