EXHUMED OF THE EARTH reviews
This is most likely the first true doom metal cd to ever
surface in the Christian music scene. "Exhumed..." was originally released
in 1993 on R.E.X. records in the US and has since been re-released independently
from the band themselves in Australia as an import. Andrew Tompkins,
founding member, has always been my favorite vocalist in all "death"
metal. The vocals are smooth and guttural, a pure death metal dream.
The music on this disc is slow dirge-like and qualifies this band as
the biggest contender in the realm of doom-metal. Lyrically this was
the boldest and most evangelical cd Paramaecium has ever released. The
lyrics speak openly and very descriptively of Christ's birth, death
and ressurection. This disc and it's followup, "Within the Ancient Forest",
both feature Jason De Ron on guitars and drummer extraordinaire Jayson
Sherlock (formerly Mortification) on the drums. For fans of Morgion,
early My Dying Bride and early Paradise Lost.
Thunderline
Paramaecium, like any other band named after single-celled
bacterium, would be classified as, what I'm told, doom metal. Death
metal that's a little slower, almost plod-along, and much more experimental.
Death metal to brood to, to coin a phrase. Now, 'Exhumed Of The Earth'
took me a while to get into, mostly for the afore mentioned experimental
edge to it. But, as with all things I had to take time to get used to,
this CD is now one of my particular favorites. Take, for example, the
opening cut "The Unnatural Conception". Clocking in at seventeen minutes,
and incorporating such exotic musical incorporation as violins, an operatic
female singer and keyboards, to say nothing of the gut-wrenching down-tuned
guitar riff that churns on for five minutes before shifting, the precise-as-a-Swiss-watch
drumming of none other than Jayson Sherlock and the growl vocals. Some
listeners with shorter attention spans may be tempted to start skipping
around, but believe me, the whole song is very, very satisfying. It's
such a darkly beautiful amalgam of sounds, it shouldn't be brushed off
so soon. The overall theme of 'Exhumed Of The Earth' seems to pretty
much deal with the birth of Christ, His death, the persecution of His
followers, and the Second Coming. You know, standard death/doom metal
topics. Aside from "The Unnatural Conception", I also gravitate toward
"Injudicial", "Untombed", "The Voyage Of The Severed" and "The Killing"
as far as favored tracks go. This is another CD I listen to in the dark
a lot. It's worth checking out.
Dead Zine
I know almost about them except that they are very heavy
grinding doom! Female vocals, violins, and a mean guitar tone make for
quite a contrast but I really like it. This REALLY doesn't sound like
a Christian band at all. They occasionally even drift over to Forest
Of Equilibrium era Cathedral (complete with flute playing). This is
probably the best Christian album since Sanity Obscure by Believer or
Lament For The Weary by Seventh Angel.
Critical Metal
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