CoC : Admortem - Ad Extremum Supplicium : Review

Admortem - _Ad Extremum Supplicium_
(Noise Solution, 1998)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)

This is the first release from Noise Solution Records, which is a new division of Velvet Music international (Mundanus Imperium, Wallachia, Children of Maani, et al.). Admortem are a French band who mix straightforward death metal with a quirky death metal somewhat in the vein of Lethargy [US; CoC #4 and #14], Dissonance (Slovakia) or Atheist. Their music isn't as technical, but it's impressive, and a good blend of the two styles. They also remind me of Death (_Human_, _Individual Thought Patterns_) in some of their guitar solos and the fretless bass work. The playing is solid and competent, and handles the material well, though there are a few places which could be a little tighter. The production is adequate: it's not brutally heavy, but it is clean and solid. It certainly fits the music, which at times is too quirky and noodly to be heavy. The songs are typically short (8 songs, filling out 25 minutes), and don't have a predictable structure. They also show a good mix of tempos, and feature a few melodic parts as well. The guitar solos are good: they fit the music and they're not overused. The guitarists do a good job of changing their soloing styles for each song. The band should have finished recording a new album by the time you read this, so we should have a new offering from them soon. They have the potential to be excellent.

Contact: velvet@wanadoo.fr

(article published 1/9/1998)