Disincarnate - Dreams of the Carrion Kind (1993)^{Release ID: 9950}

Disincarnate are known simply for the fact that James Murphy was a member of the band. The genius guitarist adds a stack of class to just about every album he touches (although he couldn't save Cancer's Death Shall Rise) with massive titles by Death, Obituary and Testament to his name. But what makes this project different from just about every other band he's worked for is that Disincarnate is James Murphy's band. It's not a guest appearance like it so often his for James and it's not the 4th album by a solid line-up that James has just slotted into after a former member's departure. Dreams of the Carrion Kind is a death metal album the way James Murphy wants it to be and that means awesome, tight, old school death metal with obviously fantastic lead guitar work.

Many have complained that most of the tracks on this release sound like each other and I have to admit that's true. The vocalist doesn't really alter his style (typical but good death growls) throughout and a lot of the riffs could be transferred between tracks easily enough. But then it's all so tight and classy, with fantastic sections raising their head regularly out of the comfortable framework. Stench of Paradise Burning is by far and away the best track, but Monarch of the Sleeping Marches and In Sufferance are great also. I guess this is one of those albums that's unlikely to pop up in anyone's top 10 albums of all time but is certainly a good choice for anyone that enjoys old school death metal without necessarily requiring a level of experimentation in their music.

To this budding young shredder & death metal-obsessed teenager, hired gun guitar virtuoso James Murphy was very much an idol during the early 1990's. I first became aware of him through his stunning contribution to Death's 1990 "Spiritual Healing" album before being thoroughly blown away by his work on Obituary's "Cause of Death" & Cancer's "Death Shall Rise". So, when I got wind of Murphy's commitment to release a death metal project of his own called Disincarnate I was obviously very excited. This led me to pick the "Dreams of the Carrion Kind" album up on CD upon release & it certainly didn't leave me feeling disappointed. I've always held it in very high regard & return to it regularly. Somehow though, I've never gotten around to reviewing it & think it's about time I did given just how few of our regulars seem to be across it.

"Dreams of the Carrion Kind" is a pure death metal record for death metal enthusiasts only. There's no attempt to reinvent the wheel made here but the overall product is so well put together that this means very little in the grand scheme of things. Interestingly, it wasn't recorded in the United States, despite falling very comfortably into line with the US sound. It was actually recorded in Wales with well-known metal producer Colin Richardson doing a great job at harnessing both the brutality & the melodic sensibilities of Disincarnate's classy brand of extreme music. Murphy had put together a highly capable trio of support musicians for the project including vocalist Bryan Cegon, rhythm guitarist Jason Carman & future Acid Bath & Shrüm drummer Tomas Viator & I'm very pleased to say that the three combine well with Murphy to form a tight-knit band rather than being merely a support network for Murphy's undeniable chops. In fact, you'd never pick Disincarnate as being a solo act because it simply isn't one.

The strength in Disincarnate's music is their ability to balance out a savage attack with a clear sense of melody & a strong understanding of compositional techniques. Not all of the riffage is of an elite level but the song-writing all flows effortlessly which gives Murphy & co. an extra layer of professionalism that sees them standing out amongst the death metal crowd. Cegon's vocals stick largely in cookie monster territory but he always maintains a clear intelligibility which sees "Dreams of the Carrion Kind" sounding a touch more accessible than some of their peers. The rhythm guitar work is super-tight & exceptionally sophisticated as you would expect from a Murphy-fronted project with the use of guitar harmonies being a real highlight of the album, so much so that I can easily pickup the influence of this record in my own band Neuropath's 1996 demo tape "Desert of Excruciation" which has often been described by critics as "Suffocation meets Disincarnate". Given that these harmonies give Disincarnate their point of differentiation, I think drummer Viator does a great job at giving them the room they need to deliver their maximum appeal as never overdoes the blast-beats, instead keeping them up his sleeve for key moments which accentuates their impact.

The tracklisting is extremely consistent as there's nothing even remotely close to filler included here. The record kicks off in brilliant fashion with two of Disincarnate's finest songs appearing in quick succession. "Stench of Paradise Burning" is quite simply one of my all-time favourite death metal songs &, listening back now, I can easily see why I tried so hard to get my Neuropath band mates to cover it during the mid-1990's. "Beyond the Flesh" is almost is potent too so it's easy to understand why I might have been led into such enthusiasm during the early stages of my first listen as a snot-nosed, teenage death metal frother. The album settles in for a solid mid-section after that before exploding again during the back end of the tracklisting with a trio of classics in "Deadspawn", "Sea of Tears" & the stunningly atmospheric doom/death outro piece "Immemorial Dream" which comes the closest to challenging the brutal opener for top position. Murphy's guitar solos are a constant source of amazement as he seemed to know just how to layer his instantly recognizable technique over the riffs in a way that never highjacks proceedings, instead working to add additional colour & excitement to some beautifully executed transitions. I absolutely adore some of the tremolo-picked riffs that sit underneath his lead work actually. It reminds me of Gorguts' 1991 debut album "Considered Dead" as well as his former band Death at their very best which is in no small part to do with the super-tight & suitably restrained performance of Viator.

If it isn't already obvious, "Dreams of the Carrion Kind" is a special record for me, so much so that it's always surprised me that it's not talked about more often. Perhaps it helps that I was playing in a death metal band as a lead guitarist at the time which no doubt gives me a unique perspective on the way Disincarnate have created & structured their music but I still think this is a seriously underrated record. The way that Disincarnate effortlessly incorporate a wide array of tempos (including some of the most masterful harmonized doom metal material you'll find) is quite remarkable & there are very few who have pulled it off with such an air of professionalism. Despite Murphy's looming presence at the helm, one would have to imagine that all four band members must have possessed a very strong pedigree in the history of death metal, otherwise I can't see how they would have been able to pull off a record like this one which should be essential listening for all US death metal nuts.

For fans of Brutality, Demented Ted & Monstrosity.