LIVARKAHIL - Signs Of Decay CD Review

ARTIST: Livarkahil
TITLE: Signs Of Decay
YEAR: 2011
LABEL: Listenable Records
REVIEWED BY: Caroline Restiaux

Parisian Death Metal band Livarkahil annihilates the metal world with their 2nd release 'Signs Of Decay'. The concept of of the album deals with religious autocracy. 'Autocracy' meaning: government in which one person has uncontrolled or unlimited authority over others; leaves a window of lyrical content that arouses ones mind while listening.

When listening to the CD it comes as no surprise why there are countless of comparisons being made with them and Behemoth. The style and structure of the songs along with the vocals are very similar to the Polish greats. I like how the drumming hammers from the depths of hell not letting up for a single moment with it's double bass machine-gun style tap tap tapping. There is an impetuous amount of energy that comes through each riff Kaiin and Traume deliver. At times it seems like the band leans a bit towards the 'hardcore' genre because of the breakdowns and certain vocal patterns but definitely not enough to throw them a title of being deathcore. The lyrical content in the songs show they are quite knowledgeable of their subject and concept behind the album. There is a part in 'When Hell Is Near' that actually annoyed me a bit when a part of the vocal style sounded like it was almost created with a voice synthesizer. This is metal right?

The release was mixed and mastered at Hertz Studio (Vader, Behemoth, Decapitated) and produced by HK & BST (Aosoth). Every second of the music pummels your entire being and runs right through your system. It seems effortless for the band to create something so majestic with only one other album under their belt. Check out one of my faves on the album 'Above All Haterd' and you'll see what I mean.

Overall, the band reminds me a bit of Behemoth and Aborted with a touch of their *countrymen* Gojira. It is obvious that these guys did their homework before recording which gives way to a promising future for the band. A future that I will be sure to follow without question. I hope to get the chance to see these guys live someday soon.

TRACKLISTING:

01. In Nomine Patris
02. When Hell Is Near
03. Quiet Heresy
04. The End Of Everything
05. Art Of Bleeding
06. ...We Hail The Victory
07. Above All Hatred
08. The Flesh Of All Damned
09. In Light We Die
10. Heaven Shall Fall
11. Signs Of Decay