Artist: Dismember
Label: Candlelight Records
Release Date: 4/20/04
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Title: Where Iron Crosses Grow Artist: Dismember Label: Candlelight Records Release Date: 4/20/04 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
Dismember continue on their recent track of combining the old-school Sunlight sound with a more melodic, late-90s sound. Much like their album Hate Campaign, the band puts forth a valiant effort toward a mediocre sound.
"One word review: Okay." Dismember are a good band. They write good riffs and produce a slick package, but they can be a little boring. They are a perfect band to slap on when you're in the mood for a little mid-to-slow-paced death metal, and you don't really feel like focusing your attention on the music being played. It gives you ample opportunity to bang your head, but is far from being exciting enough to hold your attention for long periods of time.
Dismember do have a pretty solid guitar sound, however, and that is probably the best part of this record. Long time fans will no doubt not be disappointed, but the average metal fan will just have a been there, done that mentality. The splotches of dueling guitars and melodic leads are obviously meant to spice things up, but even if they didn't sound as forced as they do, they still would sound a bit dated.
While I'm glad I have this one in my collection, it is far from essential. A solid record, but nothing exciting. An enjoyable listen, but not groundbreaking. Comforting, but not overwhelming . . . well, you get the idea. One word review: Okay.
Death's Review:
Some folks are raving about the new Dismember. One friend called it the Swedish death metal equivalent of 40+ year-old Doug Flutie leading the Chargers to the Super Bowl next year – a veteran favorite thought long past overdue delivering a classic performance. I can see where he is coming from. Dismember do a nice job here of melding a heightened sense of sophistication and melodic sensibility with a return to the classic early Swedish death metal Dismember riffs. It seems to work, and injects a jolt of energy into what they are doing. Your support could be squandered much more frivolously, and Dismember deserve some attention for their achievement.
"Your support could be squandered much more frivolously, and Dismember deserve some attention for their achievement." Still, for me, the production value obscures some of this progress, and ultimately the songs are just not catchy enough to sustain my interest for too long, leaving the record to fall somewhat flatter than I had hoped. The album just doesn’t sound as good as I think it should, and I tend to want to listen past it. Perhaps I am just not enough of a fan of this band’s back catalogue to fully appreciate where they are today? Personally, I like the last Bloodbath album a lot better for this brutal side of things, and preferred the thrashy melody found on the last Dark Tranquility record. In many ways, you’ve heard this all before. This is the sixth Dismember studio album, and you’ve definitely "been there done that" vis-à-vis most of this material. But if you are big Dismember fan, or a fan of that era of bands a la Entombed, etc., you are going to want to pick this one up.
Hel's Review:
Dismember returns after four years with another death metal attack. Hate Campaign was my first experience with the band, and one that I found I enjoyed. So I was understandably curious to hear Where Iron Crosses Grow and to learn where they are at after their hiatus.
"I enjoyed listening to Where Iron Crosses Grow." Not too far from the last record, would probably be the best answer I can give, after mulling the issue over for a while. The overall feel of the album is slightly faster, and many of the melodic guitar sections continue to be present here as well. As with the last album, it is the ferocious speed of the double bass drumming that keeps my attention throughout the album. There is a subtle use of samples in several of the songs, and though I usually despise samples, these are used in a way that merely accent the songs and do not distract, so in this case, I feel they are used very well.
I enjoyed listening to Where Iron Crosses Grow. Moreover, I found that the more I listened to it, the more infectious it became. I cannot imagine that it would be possible for someone who liked the last record to not also appreciate this effort. I expect I will be coming back to this one again in the future.
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