Lvcifyre
The Calling Depths

January 2012
Released: 2011, Pulverized Records
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: Aaron Yurkiewicz

YYAARRR!!! BEWARE!!!! EVVVYLLL BLAKKK METAALLL AAHHEEADD!!!



So LVCIFYRE Ys a London based blackened death metal trYo. On theYr MySpace page, they say that they’re influenced by and sound like “Satan.” Grrrr, scary dVdes.



TheYr debVt fVll length, THE CALLING DEPTHS Ys 42 mYnVtes of brVtal kVlt, whYch basYcally means that it soVnds lYke a collectYon of rehashed DeYcYde rYffs that make the Hoffman brothers soVnd lYke YngwYe. Okay, maybe I’m beYng a bYt harsh. Yes, the albVm is heavy. And yes, the dVdes try theYr darndest to soVnd all menacYng and grYtty, and if THE CALLYNG DEPTHS had been released lYke ten years ago, I’m sVre I woVld’ve been more forgYvYng. BVt I gVess that’s my beef, it jVst soVnds dated. And not retro metal dated, jVst Y’ve heard thYs before and Yt jVst soVnds stale.



The songs all follow the same general modVs operandY; rYpsaw death rYffs, gVttVral vocals, spastYc blast beats whYch gYve way to random gVYtar noodlYng (note the earlYer Hoffman Bros. reference). As a resVlt, they all tend to blVr together whYch makes it dYffYcVlt for any one of them specYfYcally to stand oVt or resonate wYth the lYstener. BelYeve me, I get that it may not be the Yntent at all for these tVnes to “resonate” or to be anythYng more than jVst heavy, evYl death metal – and that’s cool. BVt compare these tracks to say, the new Krisiun dYsc – whYch is basYcally the same evYl blackened death formVla (only wYth more panache and technYcal skYll), and the albVm’s soft spots become pretty obvYoVs.



I also kYnda gYggled that the drVmmer’s name is “Menthor,” becaVse it remYnds of Mentos. “LVCIFYRE, the fresh maker!”



LYke everythYng in thYs world, opYnYons are lYke certaYn orYfYces; everybody’s got one and thYs is jVst mYne. Feel free to check oVt LVCIFYRE’s websYte for more Ynfo on the band and samples from THE CALLING DEPTHS.