I had high hopes for the second effort from Pete Helmkamp’s latest post Angelcorpse endeavor, especially after the nasty little slab of black/death filth that was the debut, Larvae Offal Swine. But alas, Proselyte Parasite Plague is a disappointing, flat (literally) follow up.
The main reason for the album’s failure is the guitar tone and production. It’s fucking awful. I get that this type of music is supposed to be raw, grimy and filthy, but its like they forgot to mix the guitars completely. They are so far back in the mix, distant, tinny and and thin, that it renders what I imagine is some pretty spiteful nasty bestial /death metal, utterly devoid of bite.
I went back and listened to tracks like and “Narcocult” and “Crown of Flies” from the debut, just to reaffirm the difference, and my fears were cemented as that album has a raw, savage primal-ness that is still heavy and rusty blade sharp. But here, tracks like “Infidel and Unclean”, “Gogamgoz”, “Saracen” or “Progeny Devoid” sound like really bad rough mix, demo tracks sapped of all potential black/death/thrash nihilism.
Even the drums sound flat as hell and only element that carries any sort of malevolent sneer is the dual vocals of Helmkamp and drummer Cameron Grant (Crucifier). It’s not murky or muddy for the sake of nauseating atmosphere or blistering in a raw, sick fashion, it’s just baaaaaaaad.
Thankfully the release is just 6 tracks and 23 minutes, so its over quickly. I hate that Helmkamp appears to have phoned this one in, lets hope its a minor blip in his otherwise perfect legacy.
