THE ISLE OF DISENCHANTMENT

"The Isle Of Disenchantment" is the debut full-length studio album by Australian, Tasmania based death metal act Psycroptic. The album was independently released in January 2001. Psycroptic formed in 1999 and they didn´t release any official demos before recording and releasing "The Isle Of Disenchantment"...

...and maybe that´s why "The Isle Of Disenchantment" features a sound production which is raw and not way above demo sound quality. The sound production suits the furiously fast-paced and chaotic nature of the material though, so it´s not a huge issue, although a little more clarity and balance in the mix could have provided the music with a little more punch and heaviness. Stylistically the music on "The Isle Of Disenchantment" is very brutal and relatively technically well played death metal. Loads of breaks, tempo changes, and an almost chaotic sounding atmosphere are some of the characteristics of the album. Lead vocalist Matthew Chalk is one of the more varied extreme metal vocalists out there, as he screams, growls and speaks (even sings) his way through the album with great passion and conviction. He is a skilled vocalist who brings a lot to the music. The instrumental part of the album is very well performed too, and there are more than one jaw-dropping moment found on the album.

The material on the 9 track, 39:09 minutes long album are well written and relatively memorable for the genre, although the tracks aren´t easy to tell apart unless the album is given many spins, but Psycroptic do understand the importance of variation, and they incorporate details here and there to keep things interesting throughout. An example is the slow and heavy opening to the second track of the album "The Sword of Uncreation", which is a simple yet effectful way of changing style and pace after the brutality and chaotic technical chaos of the opening track "Carnival of Vulgarity". Of course "The Sword of Uncreation" picks up the brutal chaotic frenzy soon enough, but it´s those little details which make "The Isle Of Disenchantment" an intriguing listen.

Upon conclusion "The Isle Of Disenchantment" is a quality brutal technical death metal album, and although it´s not a perfect release the album features more than enough promise and high quality features to deserve a 3.5 star (70%) rating.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)