Dismember

Hate Campaign (Nuclear Blast)
by Tim Den

Saying “I like Dismember” is like saying “I like metal.” I’ve been listening to these guys since their debut, Like an Everflowing Stream, was only available in the States via vinyl import, and I’ve followed them relentlessly through the years because they’re that good. Okay, so age has gotten to these Swedish gents a little. The tunes are no longer as defined, and this album sounds exactly like the last one (same production, riffing, and everything), but it’s still better than most death metal albums simply because it’s Dismember. They have a certain touch that’s unique. It’s crushing guitars at their most guttural, raw recording at its most aggressive, all with just a tinge of melody to make it digestible. True, it’s this tinge of melody that usually gets over-played in the songwriting (this band really likes grinding strings in minor keys, and there’re only so many songs you can write with that formula before losing track of which is which… not to mention there are bands like At The Gates who do it so much better), but it’s made up for with pure devastation. Dismember is a heavy band, and they don’t fuck around. Especially not since they’ve gone through the “experimental era” with all the other death metal bands (’93-’95, led by Entombed and Carcass with their albums on Columbia [!]) and found the results less than pleasing (see Massive Killing Capacity – not that horrible of a record compared to the failures of other death metal “experimentations”). So Hate Campaign is another slab of hatred and agony with which these Swedish forefathers can prove their worth, and all you kiddies out there who have yet to hear the real thing should definitely pick it up.
(www.nuclearblast-usa.com)