Blasphemer- On the Inexistence of God

Blasphemer Myspace
Label: Comatose Music
Release Date: December 16th, 2008
Type: Full Length

Blasphemer: a five piece from Italy that likes to play ripping brutal death metal and dislikes religion. It took them ten years to release a full length album, but it must have been time well spent because “On The Inexistence of God” proves to be one of the standout brutal death records of 2008.

Blasphemer’s music is a raging brutal death metal beast with technical guitar work scattered throughout. The music in general is fast, ripping stuff, with some cool diversions like the acoustic, Italian flavored interludes present at the beginning of “The Killing Dogma” and played for the duration of the title track. You’ve got riffs here and there and just about everywhere. Fast, blazing riffs are the meat of most songs, with breakdowns and slower sections thrown in appropriately for an occasional change of pace. On “IX Son” and “Nihilist Preachers of Death” we get some killer bass lines, incorporated into the aforementioned songs in a very BDM way, that sound great. The drumming is all over the place, changing at every turn with the sporadic riffing. The drummer delivers all sorts of blasting, quick fills, and double bass, all done masterfully with awesome speed, complementing the guitars quite nicely. The vocals sound just as good as most brutal death metal band’s, with low grunts, raucous barks, and gutturals that range from “broo” to “bree” and just about everything in between. They sound truly bestial when double layered though, and often during listens I find myself wishing that they had employed that double layering technique more often.

The most impressive thing about Blasphemer is that, with all these instruments playing so fast and changing so quickly from one pattern to the next, that they managed to keep everything on “On The Inexistence Of God” coherent. From the ripping “Kuru-Laughing Death” to the final “Outro” everything sounds right in place, exactly how and where it’s supposed to be, and all together, as five pieces becoming one, it just sounds fantastic. Each of these musicians shines individually, but it’s as one collective whole, as the beast that is Blasphemer that they are truly monstrous.

Part of the aforementioned coherence that Blasphemer managed to attain on this record can also be partially attributed to the production. Unlike many great brutal death metal records that are hurt by a shoddy or murky production, “On The Inexistence Of God” sounds great production-wise. Everything is clearly defined, no one instrument is hidden in the background or is so loud that it drowns out everything else. This record sounds crisp, without being overproduced, striking a good balance that leaves the record sounding awesome. The one relatively minor drawback is though, that the guitars sound a bit thin. A heavier, thicker guitar tone would have given these songs a meaner, more vicious sound. Once again though, it’s a relatively minor flaw in an otherwise very solid record.

Ultimately, Blasphemer’s efforts have amounted to a very successful debut record. “On The Inexistence Of God” is definitely an essential record for any brutal death metal fan. Hopefully Blasphemer’s future releases are as good as this one, because their future in the realm of brutal death metal looks quite promising.

So, if you're feelin' it, check this puppy out here
But preferably, you can support the Italian scene and buy it here