(by Scott Alisoglu)
It doesn’t take much time before one hears the Suffocation influence on Hate Takes Its Form, Dawn Of Demise’s debut album for Deepsend Records, and that includes attributes like the [Frank] Mullen-ish gurgle growls and some of the riffing. The boys even bust out a cover of Suffocation’s “Infecting The Crypts” on their upcoming Lacerated EP, one that will also include a couple of new tracks and two more covers.
Now that I’ve led everyone to believe that Hate Takes Its Form is the second coming of Effigy Of The Forgotten or Pierced From Within, I should back my proverbial ass up and simply note that elements of the sound are present, but not dominant. Regardless, you’ll find no arguments from vocalist Scott Jensen about the influence, especially when it comes to his considerable vocal talents.
“Effigy Of The Forgotten has been my favorite record since ‘91 and so have the vocals. I guess it was inevitable that record would be a great influence vocally, but more on an unconscious level probably. I’m glad you mention Frank Mullen; I’ve enjoyed his vocals a lot since I bought Effigy, and he’s probably my main inspiration, along with Chris Barnes from the [Cannibal Corpse] Tomb Of The Mutilated days. That’s probably one of the reasons the vocals sound like they do. And of course, I’ve been playing death metal since I founded my old band Infernal Torment in ‘93 and I am not known to like too much modern stuff, be it vocals, guitar riffs, etc.”
What makes Hate Takes Its Form so darn refreshing though is that the oldschool death metal ingredients are present, yet the Danes have no burning desire for Autobahn level speed or masturbatory technicality. Instead, the tunes stay largely in mid-tempo territory, periodically accelerating or slowing to a bludgeoning crawl. The songs are also written in a mostly traditional format to combat memory degeneration, while the fat, riff-driven grooves are friggin’ huge, as in King Kong huge, all of it made even more massive by the band’s outstanding production and Jacob Hansen’s mix/mastering.
“Our goal has always been to make interesting death metal,” bassist Bjørn Jensen affirms [guitarists Martin Sorensen and Alexander Kjeldsen, and drummer Kim L. Jensen complete the lineup], “not all blasting and grind all through a song. We focus more on making it interesting to listen to. We like fast parts and all that, and use them every once in a while, but we focus more on heaviness, catchiness, and stuff like that. I don’t know if it’s just me, but my favorite death metal songs aren’t all about speed, but more about a good song and a great riff.”
“Like a fast grinding 270 BPM death metal band saying ‘I like the heaviness of our songs,’” he continues, “and I am like, ‘what the fuck is that about? Heaviness is in the tempo, the groove, and the sound. To me heavy and fast are almost each other’s opposites. In my opinion, speed is the problem in death metal nowadays. I like loads of these newer and faster bands, but man, some of these records are so boring in the long run! I like a fast, no holds barred, grinding, blasting, relentless song every once in a while, and I love loads of really fast bands. But honestly, do you sit down and enjoy listening to a whole album? Well, I don’t. Maybe I am getting old, but I prefer death metal with variation, groove, and energy.”
The same goes for Jensen’s vocals. His fluid shifts from brutal growl to intelligible bark is so impressive that I’d put him in league with death metal’s best without hesitation. Seriously, you need to hear the pipes on this guy. Talk about command presence! Here again, Jensen’s approach is right in line with the act’s overall goal of keeping the listener’s interest for the duration.
“The variation in vocals is basically there so it doesn’t get too boring in the long run, and of course you can’t play a heavy riff and keep the heaviness if the vocals are aggressive and screaming. To me that’s a bit like blasting over a heavy riff instead of emphasizing the riff with some heavy and groovy drumming.”
Listening to Jensen’s mighty roar makes one wonder about the work that goes into harnessing that kind of vocal power. Scott Jensen’s answer to the inquiry may surprise you.
“People ask how much time I spend at home practicing and the answer is never since I started growling in a death meal band 15 years ago. Also many people think it’s very hard on your throat and that is also wrong. My stomach muscles, or a lack thereof, after a concert is an entirely different matter. All in all, in my experience, growling is either something you can do or just can’t.”
Last, but certainly not least, the guitar solos are yet another secret to the album’s success. They seem to fly out of the tank division pummel, but not because of any kind of mile-a-minute shredding. Rather, the idea is one of passionate reprieve, rather than face laceration.
“We really love guitar solos,” Scott Jensen affirms. “However, we prefer the more structured kind of solos with melody, as opposed to the more noisy, speedy solos. A good comparison of that would be Jeff Loomis from Nevermore and his solos compared to, for example, Kerry King’s. Our music is mainly heavy and we don’t play much around with melody; that’s what the solos are there for, something to give the songs some color.”
