CoC : Impious - Hellucinate : Review

Impious - _Hellucinate_
(Metal Blade, 2004)
by: Jackie Smit (7 out of 10)

_Hellucinate_, the fifth full-length effort by this Swedish quintet, suffers from exactly the same dilemma as Dementor, whose _God Defamer_ record some of you may remember me reviewing earlier this year. It's a problem that is rooted not in the band's ability to play and create coherent, interesting material, but in the fact that the bar by which extreme music is measured nowadays has been raised significantly, particularly in 2004. Had I been handed this record three years earlier, I would more than likely have enjoyed it a great deal more, but the fact of the matter is that albums in a similar vein such as Carnal Forge's _Aren't You Dead Yet?_ have simply rendered this collection too banal to truly spark any level of significant and lasting interest that would warrant repeated attention. And yes, this record is well produced and expertly played. Likewise, Martin Akkeson's vocals are a thing of morose beauty: abrasive enough to strip the wallpaper off many a living room on songs like "Wicked Saints" and "Bloodspill Revelation". But unfortunately the only time that the band truly differentiate themselves from the countless other death/thrash ensembles doing the rounds at present is on the superb closing track, "Suicide Park", and I'm afraid that by that point most listeners would more than likely have elected to move on to more challenging prospects.

Contact: http://www.impious.net

(article published 31/12/2004)

ALBUMS
4/9/2010	A El Naby	7.5	Impious - Death Domination
18/1/2007	J Smit	5.5	Impious - Holy Murder Masquerade
26/3/2003	A Lineker	7	Impious - The Killer
13/3/2001	A Cantwell	6	Impious - Terror Succeeds
16/1/1999	D Rocher	10	Impious - Evilized