Decapitated

Nihility (Earache)
by Tim Den

The bad-ass teenage death metalheads from Poland are back! As if their debut, Winds of Creation, didn’t already prove their might, Nihility crowns the four Hanson look-alikes as the future of metal. This is the dawning of a new age, folks… Your younger brother, blessed with lessons learned from 25+ years of heavy metal do’s-and-don’ts has developed better musicianship and songwriting than you and your group of aging (balding) metal friends (who still think Pungent Stench was technical). Decapitated are faster, meaner, catchier, more technical, more groovy, and more inventive than any band today (other than Extol). They’ve already surpassed their mentors Vader in terms of sheer brutality and onslaught, and they’ve got the songs to back it up. Opener “Perfect Dehumanization (The Answer?)” tears out of the gate like a group of rabies-infested men fighting over the last antidote, then – in a flash – switches gears into a jaw-dropping double-bass groove. Stop-and-go guitar grinds stab randomly into the thick, busy rhythms, punctuating your thrashing head… the rush is exhilarating. It’s like rediscovering metal all over again. “What… the… fuck…” you say to yourself, as you marvel at the efficiency with which these kids dish out the beatings.

“Mother War” (pay attention during the beginning) and “Spheres of Madness” continue the dazzling show, and you’re exhausted by the end. Confused, you wonder how such brilliance came out of four teenagers. But age won’t matter in another few years cuz Decapitated will keep getting better and better as they get older, long after public curiosity gives way to utter worship.
(43 West 38th St. 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10018)