Review by Daniel for Deracination - Times of Atrocity (1992)

Sydney-based death metallers Deracination were a relatively unknown member of the early Australian extreme metal scene back in the day. In fact, this CD was actually released as a self-financed demo tape at the time & has only been rediscovered as anything more significant over the last decade after US label Dark Symphonies decided to re-release "Times of Atrocity". The five-piece band were located relatively close to my home in the northern-Sydney suburb of Hornsby & originally began life as a Christian death/thrash act under the Holy Rite moniker before electing to head further towards the death metal side of their sound which triggered the name change. I didn't like Holy Rite's 1989 "Mosh for the Master" demo much to be honest & preferred them under the Deracination moniker, although a quick look at my score will tell you that I wasn't overly enthused by "Times of Atrocity" either.

You really do need to treat "Times of Atrocity" as a demo tape because it definitely sounds like one. The sessions were recorded with producer Grant Leffler (who also worked with local thrash metal acts Frozen Doberman & White Trash) at Sydney's Machine Head Studios but there was little in the way of production afforded to it with the rhythm guitars sounding messy & the drums being particularly weak. Still, Deracination seem to possess an understanding of song-writing techniques as the catchier tracks are generally fairly entertaining & manage to get my head bobbing away for a while. Unfortunately, they're mixed in with some pretty flat material that makes up roughly half of the tracklisting & sees the back end of the record noticeably petering out. The vocals of John Courtney aren't overly monstrous, leaving the listener with plenty of room to make out the faith-based lyrical content but still giving Deracination a decidedly underground feel. The musicianship isn't terribly amazing but I do enjoy the way the band work with time signatures to create additional interest. The thrash leanings of Holy Rite are still clearly evident throughout much of the runtime, particularly on tracks like "Death by Fire" with its obvious plagiarism of Slayer's "Angel of Death". Drummer Gary O'Connell's chops would improve significantly before I got to know him as a member of fellow Sydney death metallers Destrier during the mid-1990's while the guitar solos are noticeably lacking in structure & technique.

The links with Christianity may have afforded Deracination a little more interest than they deserved within that demographic however the band had drifted out of view by the time my own death metal band Neuropath started gigging around the city more regularly in 1994. Mortification/Horde/Deliverance/Light Force/Paramæcium/Revulsed drummer Jayson Sherlock has contributed to the CD artwork & design which is a clear indication of the way the Christian community supports their own though. "Times of Atrocity" certainly has more enjoyable moments than I remember it having & I've actually been surprised to find songs like "Perverted Dreams", "Mankinds Search for God", "Decapitation", "Blood Sacrifice" & "Demonic Destruction" reaching an acceptable level of appeal this week. Unfortunately, they don't have the class or strength to carry the weaker numbers like "Death by Fire" or "Possessions of the World" though, leaving "Times of Atrocity" to reside mainly in the discount bins at the back of your average second-hand store these days.

For fans of Mortification, Cancer & early Death.