Tracklist:     
01 - Vicious Circle
02 - Catch Hold
03 - Germinate
04 - Immortality
05 - Mindless State
06 - The Sense Of Change  

Bandmembers:    
Gaetano Ettorre - Vocals, Guitar
Massimo Di Gaetano - Guitar
Giuseppe Pirozzi - Bass
Giuseppe Bracchi - Drums

Websites:    
www.deforgeband.com

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Deforge - Freedom Release
Independent production 2003

Well, it's time for me to dig into my bag of new releases and see what I have for you all. Today's selection comes from Italian band Deforge, with their new album "Freedoom Release". They claim to be a death/thrash hybrid, and list bands such as Sepultura and Slayer as their prime influences. My this sounds very interesting... So let's have a closer look, shall we? 

After a few seconds of random mechanical sound effects, track 1 "Vicious Circle" begins... Hmm, not bad, there is a slight hint of an old Sepultura guitar riff here, maybe this is for real. Here come the vocals now... Ooohh man, and here is where it all goes horribly wrong... Now I have heard singers who have "unique" or "unusual" voices that can be hard to get used to, but I've listened to this album several times, and I think it actually gets HARDER to listen to each time.. The guy's vocal style is some kind of a mix between screaming and half-assed growling.. It's very difficult to put up with it. But hey, it can't all be bad... I mean, the music is still good, right?..... Well, yes and no. While they do have some pretty decent riffs at times, the majority of them are really bland and repetitive, with few guitar solo's to be heard.. Oh, and remember the whole "influenced by Slayer and Sepultura" bit? They completely ditch any resemblance whatsoever to either band, after the first song. And I have to condemn the vocalist once again, because his terrible ranting really only serves to drown out the few good parts of this album. If they kicked him out, or at least limited him to only playing guitar, and replaced him with someone who could actually sing/growl half decent, I think they'd be a hell of a lot better.. But what do I know.... Actually, to begin with, I DO know how to growl properly... But that's a whole different story.

Alright, so let's review... Shitty vocals, could probably be done better by a rabid howler monkey. Half decent music, needs to be more creative and less repetitive. Production is fine, nothing fantastic, but it's certainly a hell of a lot better than the "kult, home recorded" (more like retarded) sound. The whole she-bang lasts a total of half an hour, which is a blessing in disguise, considering the vocals... And just as a side note.. Is it normal for bandmates to have so many names in common with each other? Other than The Berzerker, but they're stark raving lunatics, so it's cool.... Anyway, time for me to wrap it up and give you my recommendation... So here it is, DON'T BUY THIS ALBUM. In fact, I wouldn't bother stealing this album from someone. And that's IF you can find someone who actually bought it. "Freedoom Release" is, in my opinion, a huge dud.. They say on their website that it's their most melodic and technical album ever... I fear for the poor soul who may hear their previous efforts if that's the truth. 

55/100

Justin