### Decaying Purity: The existence of infinite agony

#### 30/08/11 || The Duff

I was underwhelmed but nonetheless impressed some by Decaying Purity’s “Phases of Dimensional Torture”, but the follow-up, oh Sevared you sneaky bastards, had some real eye-catching caption to it – ‘What no brutal death metal fan can do without’ and ‘Certain to be an instant modern classic’. The wording of such publicity sure was clever, because there I was thinking I couldn’t do without “Existence of Infinite Agony” and also that the album would be a masterpiece of instant classic proportions.

HAHAHA!

2011, a new record released less than a year following a re-issue of their debut full-length + new demo circa-2010, and I’m a touch dispirited in that there is an intro, one re-recorded track from the full-length and two from the demo. That means only 5 new tracks, some lazy shit right there for my hard-earned moolah. That said, Decaying Purity, with these five new tracks, are displaying a band that has matured in leaps and bounds since the Suffo/Cannibal Corpse worship of their 2008 release; this disc is some high-grade, brutal and catchy death metal for sure.

Where the band is breaking new ground for itself is that it is finally becoming more aware in the field of songwriting, not simply jumbling a whole shitload of ideas from their influences together with one intention in mind, to molest your brains via the uncompromising – the riffs here flow, are well-written and quite varied. Also, the production seems to have been tailored to a band wanting to step beyond the self-gratuitously profane death/goregrind styling of its previous incarnation, meaning a lot less muggy for the sake of slamming skulls. The guitars especially sound dry, accentuated and not in the slightest bit overdriven – quite gain-deprived, and it works to embroider this newfound technicality.

Where the disc stutters some is that the band has simply gone from Suffo/CC idolatry to early Severed Savior/Insision; oddly, the tracks from their earlier days, even in simply being dumped on the end of the album, fit quite nicely although the less modern nature is rendered apparent when contrasted against the catchier, less blunt and more technical style of the five preceding cuts. The musicianship is great, Onur Gazioğlu (drums) especially, the guitars criss-crossing though breakdowns thankfully beyond slam-bullshit (although no doubt in part to the more precise production values), masterful tremolo picking and a clear sense for atmosphere not unlike the recent Insision E.P. “End of All” where lead work is overlaid busy rhythmic shifts to give rise to something seedier than ongoing standard death metal battering.

There is definitely something to “Existence of Infinite Agony” that makes the band transcend regular BDM fare, but to call it a masterpiece is premature because once more Decaying Purity are offering nothing new at times directly lifting ideas from better established acts simply teching it up some. Also, to release twice the same material in less than a year is insulting when they’ve had had three years to prepare a new album comprising more than 50% new tunes.

The artwork is stunning in the sense it is an almost childlike, simplistic perception of Hell all the while being strikingly detailed and disturbing at the same time, and so in the end the final product is a real promising affair with class tunes although likely to be overtaken by those more schooled and hungry for pushing the scene forward – the latest Putridity, for example, comes as far more recommended, even though part of me suspects if this were the new Insision I would be all over it. Needless to say a strong album and if the band continues to evolve so drastically for the follow-up (and have it contain all up-to-date originals), album number three should be something to keep an eye out for.

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Sevared Records
- Website: Decaying Purity MySpace
- Band
- Malik Çamlıca: bass
- Onur Gazioğlu: drums
- Mustafa Gürcalioğlu: guitars
- Serkan Niron: vocals

- Tracklist
- 01. Inception of Domination
- 02. Defilement of the Deranged
- 03. Disfigurement of the Pure Cranium
- 04. Dreadfully Gutted
- 05. Purify the Disembodied
- 06. The Forsaken Tomb of the Impious
- 07. The River of Entrails
- 08. Unstoppable Rage
- 09. Create the Torso with a Hatchet