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Decapitated: Organic hallucinosis
09/12/11 || The Duff
Well, Decapitated’s “The Negation” along with “Winds of Creation” being the albums that made death metal my favourite sub-genre, the former especially it being easier to comprehend yet still intense enough to make me feel like the daredevil sitting on a motorcycle backwards arms and legs crossed and wearing shades, the follow-up “Organic Hallucinosis” was a big one – I was worried as I think it was around August time they (namely Vogg) stated they’d be dedicating a month to writing. Now I never know how bands tackle such a process, but I would’ve thought moving a month aside would be forcing the creativity instead of allowing three years of material to naturally develop, but it turned out I had absolutely nothing to worry about.
“Organic Hallucinosis” despite being once more a new Decapitated album simpler than its predecessor, is pushing the boundaries of death metal by giving it a neo, post-apocalyptic feel, blending intense grooves, atmosphere and full-on blasting to a satisfyingly compact finish. Aiding in the delivery are the bark-style vocals mixed with maddening highs of new-found frontman Covan from Atrophia Red Sun. Definitely not to everyone’s tastes, but Sauron wasn’t much liked either – the nihilism of tone greatly enhances the clinical aspect of the music in my mind, but for those who are simply interested in the riffs, such may come across as inauspicious.
And so the riffs – generally speaking, “Organic Hallucinosis” has some simplified with the trademark killer, classic Decapitated of the Polish, youthful virtuoso mark. From the more simplistic angle, check the bass-led riff of “Revelation of Existence”, the most languid realized by the band, the call-and-response chug-fest of “Post Organic” which, despite an interesting rhythm, should by all means be bland as butter if not so effectively in-step with the rest of the track, the opening riff of “Visual Delusion” where the music intensifies purely by Vitek’s entrancing creative build-ups (this album boasts one of the most memorable drum performances in metal history), or the chorus riff to “Flash Black” which is straightforward hammer-on/off the first fret in true Meshuggah fashion; other noteworthy examples are the dense, fervidly picked chords of “A Poem About An Old Prison Man” teamed with tribal beats, or the elephant-balls opening riff to “Day 69” – all fine examples of increasing the tension, creating a dark atmosphere for the barrage of grade-A class.
Speaking of which, there are a tonne of individual, killer riffs to be had as well, most noticeably “Invisible Control”, a track entirely devoted to letting fans know they haven’t lost the knack for unadulterated, Polish awesome to true Vogg-standards. “Post Organic”, despite riffs isolated appearing dull, altogether a powerhouse of stop-start rhythms and ambience that is an entire original. The triplet-intensity of the verse riff to “Day 69” matched spectacularly with the ensuing riff to form nothing but purest headbanging groove, the chorus riff accompanying the two like adrenaline-paced Swedo-melodic death mixed with extreme, cyber-evil (yes, all of these are words). Parts of “A Poem About an Old Prison Man” and the break in “Visual Delusion”, for example, are reminders of the band’s roots, radical developments of the scene but the core very identifiably a sound spurred by the grandfathers Vader. I’d list everything if my fandom got the better of me, it’s all the most compelling mix of atmosphere and death metal with the exception of “Revelation of Existence” where the album slows into the stagnant when contrasted against the robust energy of absolutely every other single second of “Organic Hallucinosis”.
The material here isn’t as strong as on “Nihility” or “The Negation”, but once more Decapitated released an album that pushed the scene forward; “Organic Hallucinosis” has an atmosphere that is very original for death metal, yet the roots are never put to question. Phenomenal in every regard, with astounding performances from every member where nothing seems pushed to excess – phenomenal drumming mixing jazzy playfulness with full-on death metal intensity, tech-riffs that are catchy and insanely groovy but with that added Vogg fucked-upness about them, leads that are perfectly phrased with just enough Azagthothian madness, vocals that complete the feeling you’re living Mad Max and Martin’s final bass-performance for a Decap studio effort; 7 tracks so the perfect length and all mixed to a wall-of-sound production that is a blend of new-age gloss and authentic, overdriven crunch. Masterful.
- Information
- Released: 2006
- Label: Earache
- Website: Decapitated MySpace
- Band
- Covan: vocals
- Vogg: guitars
- Martin: bass
- Vitek: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. A Poem About an Old Prison Man
- 02. Day 69
- 03. Revelation of Existence (The Trip)
- 04. Post (?) Organic
- 05. Visual Delusion
- 06. Flash-B(l)ack
- 07. Invisible Control
