Ulcerate - Of Fracture and Failure (2007)^{Release ID: 2417}

This is certainly the weakest of Ulcerate's five albums however it's still got a bit to offer. They'd yet to fully incorporate the dissonant post-metal influence that makes up such a big part of their sound these days & here you'll find them following a more traditional tech/brutal death metal blueprint instead. There's definitely no shortage of complexity. Jamie's drumming is a highlight as usual & the production is pretty decent. There are some very good moments but also some where they get too big for their boots & things start to sound pretty messy. The stop/start nature of the song structures & the heavy emphasis on technicality makes the album lack a bit in the memorability department. It's generally faster than subsequent releases but doesn't quite match them for atmosphere. Worth a listen but not essential.