CREMATORIUM

I usually like a good death metal-rooted, chug-groovin' American metal album, not unlike what CREMATORIUM dishes out on "The Process of Endtime". However, I found 2002's "For All Our Sins…" to be just OK, the disc not leaving much of a lasting impression. The songs just never stuck. The only reason I even busted out "For All Our Sins…" again recently is because of this review. The fat riffs, the throaty crush vocals, the double bass pummel, and the tough-guy lyrics are all elements I like in my metal. Fortunately, CREMATORIUM combines those elements in a much more convincing way on "The Process of Endtime".

More specifically, the band's style on the album is something like American thrash-chug with death metal and hardcore elements, and it stands head and shoulders above its predecessor. The sound is bigger, the pace faster, the rhythm section tauter, and the songwriting more accomplished. Furthermore, listen to "For All Our Sins" and "The Process of Endtime" back to back and you'll find the sound mix on the latter markedly heavier — the chug is fatter and the drum sound crisper.

Guitar-wise, there are more solos and more melodic parts, though the brutality is never overshadowed. Daniel Dismal's vocals work better on the new album a well, projecting more power and aggression. His vocal changeups on tracks like "Turn a Blind Eye" and "Born of the Deadtide" are also much improved. Several tunes (i.e. "Drowning as One", "Infinitesimal Acculturation", and "Perils of the Disillusion") boast a speedier, modern thrash approach that suits the band. Though the violence is unrelenting, melody is never cast aside, as evidenced by standout track "Dying Under a Binary Star".

CREMATORIUM ups the intensity level and goes for the throat on "The Process of Endtime". Unlike "For All Our Sins…", I expect to revisit this album well before it's time to review the next long-player.