### Defaced Creation: Serenity in chaos

#### 31/07/09 || Trauma

Talk about a bargain. I was making my rounds through Rasputin Music a while back looking for some new cd’s. Bored of not seeing anything in the newer section I went over to the used, not really expecting to find anything worthwhile. I then came across a CD with no price on it and a kinda familiar name that I heard somewhere once, but was kinda cautious about taking it. I thought “fuck it”, picked it (this album I’m reviewing in case you’re lost) up, and headed to purchase. At the counter they took a few minutes trying to find a price for the disc, and in the end the cashier just asks, “What do you think it’s worth?” I suck at bargaining, but luckily the cashier could have cared less. “Okay, 3 dollars then.” Not only was that simple, it was like I said: a bargain. I will not break the rule of threes and mention that word again.

In case you are unaware, Defaced Creation is what Aeon used to be.

This album kicks off with what I consider to be one jackhammer of an opening track. “Baptised in fire” is how you open an album to a good start. I think the weakest track is the next, “Macabre exposure of phallic proportions”. Something about it ruins the flow I was going with from the first track. The rest of the tracks from “Fire Temple” until the closer “Fall” continue the massive assault with killer riffs galore so skipping one track is fine by me.

The music sounds like pure Cannibal Corpse worship, but done much better than the aforementioned band. Tommy’s vocals here, while better than most, are not what they are today. He keeps the growls pretty low throughout and doesn’t sound like he has the dynamics he does today. Good thing is they are intelligible and I don’t have to go to the booklet for lyrics. Of course, I don’t know if the lyrics are even in the booklet now that I think of it. But just look at the song titles and you’ll get the idea very quickly. Zeb’s playing and writing shines on this album (much like anything else he does). This breakdown riff in “Devastation” right around the end of the song just kills. Much like the opening riff on the album it helps to justify the purchase of this disc. Not one song that Zeb has writing credits on do I dislike. Bass isn’t standout, but I can hear it and know that it’s there. The drumming is pretty good and upfront.

I guess that will bring me to the actual production on this disc. I like it. One of the reasons I say that is this: when in my vehicle it sounds better as it gets loud. Shake the earth loud. It doesn’t become all muffled or saturated or whatever happens. I am sure I annoyed the hell out of some motorists in South San Francisco with this album.

Only two songs go over the 3-minute mark, and I don’t really ever notice. The songs are short but they are really as long as they need to be. Aeon’s certainly got a better catalog these days, but you’d be doing yourself a favor to find this album and listen to it. Recommended tracks: “Baptised in fire”, “Fire temple”, “Kill the light”, “Devastation”, “Stillborn”, “Cannibalistic feast”, “Enslave christians”, “Fall”.

- Information
- Released: 1999
- Label: Vod Records
- Website: No website
- Band
- Tommy Dahlström: vocals
- Zeb Nillson: guitars
- Jörgen Bylander: guitars
- Johan Hjelm: bass
- Arttu Malkki: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Baptised in fire
- 02. Macabre exposure of fleshly devotion
- 03. Fire temple
- 04. Kill the light
- 05. Devastation
- 06. Return in black
- 07. Cannibalistic feast
- 08. Stillborn
- 09. The victorious underworld
- 10. Infernal
- 11. Enslave christians
- 12. Fall