BRODEQUIN - Methods Of Execution CD

Brodequin, hailing from Tennessee, really know how to make their albums brutal and Methods of Execution is no exception. From the time when the first song hits you, the brutality will not stop, and it will drag you violently along with it.

The first noticeable thing about this album is the production. It is absolutely abysmal. It sounds like the demos from Devourment. It is very raw and grinding. Usually I would say that this is a negative, but for Brodequin it works. I’m not saying it helped the band’s sound, but the production doesn’t hurt them as much as it would some other bands.

Beneath the production are the instruments, which are all singularly focused on brutality. The vocals are of the guttural inhale variety and do not stray from this pattern anywhere on the album. The guitarist Mike Bailey (owner of Unmatched Brutality Records and brother of vocalist/bassist Jamie Bailey), puts out a wall of sound, but builds that wall with riffs. Although the guitars are pounding and brutal, riffs can be heard and enjoyed. The drums are comprised of skillfully played blastbeats and double bassing.

I have two complaints about this album. The first is that it is completely one-dimensional. In some ways I like this, but listening to this album too much can be exhausting. My second complaint is that the last “song” is really just seven minutes of echoey samples and doesn’t add anything to the album beyond pushing it past the half hour mark. I’d rather Brodequin either written one more song, or just left it at 25 minutes or so. Overall though this is a great brutal death metal album, which is recommended to those seeking the most brutal music they can find