CoC : Ulcerate Fester - Souled Out : Review

Ulcerate Fester - _Souled Out_
(Independent, 1999)
by: Pedro Azevedo (5 out of 10)

Having started as a death/grind band ten years ago, Ulcerate Fester have certainly changed a lot since then -- most likely since the current vocalist, Michel de Groot, joined the band. From death/grind they changed to the mid-paced groovy form of metal that they now play. I cannot tell which style is best for them, since I never heard any of their past efforts, but _Souled Out_ shows a band that is technically competent and experienced but still lacks the ability to create songs that can captivate the listener. The vocals don't help matters much, but the songs are just as excessively safe and unchallenging as they are competently performed; there's nothing extreme going on here and the songs are neither really annoying nor really capable of capturing the listener's attention -- they're just there.

Contact: Michel de Groot, Rozenstraat 31, 7601 AL Almelo, Netherlands

(article published 19/5/1999)