Although 2009 has been behind us for close to a year now, I am still finding myself catching up with some of those releases. Fortunately I have found some great stuff and a chance to give these bands the credit they deserve. Dismal Lapse is a death metal band from the U.S. that play a type of brutal death metal with more technical elements than most. Far from being a hodgepodge of hyperspeed riffs flung together, these guys work to try and give every song a memorable quality. Anyone who remembers the catchy riffs of Gorod will definitely notice some similarities here. While not really attempting to break much new ground, these guys have written a great album.

The first track, Addicted To Tomorrow, begins with sledgehammer riffs and furious basswork that make it a song to remember. The drums don't hurt either, though they are a little flat sometimes. The vocals are also pretty intense, though they are the standard for this genre. I like the calm acoustic/electric guitar interlude in the middle of the song, lets you catch your breath before the riffs begin pummeling you again. The lyrics are fast, but no less understandable. This is what I want to hear when I think brutal death metal. The lead on Impurities is interesting and doesn't give you any less intensity. The vocals are the same low, fast growls that complement the guitars quite well. The last part of the song incorporates a more ominous and melancholy feeling, which continues into Clipping The Wings Of Hope. You get this depressive feeling with slower riffs for the beginning, though the tempo picks up a bit after this and doesn't let you stay down for long. The vocals from Chris Barnum are also a bit more intense, I can really feel some genuine rage in them. Divide And Devour is yet another trip through pure death metal glory. In only three minutes, these guys manage to pack in a good number of killer riffs, yet keep the song moving along without getting bogged down in too much flashy guitar work (though the technicality on display here is just as impressive as anywhere on the album). The stop and go riffs on Before Our Eyes are by no means original, but it’s still a solid death metal track no matter how many times its been done. Once again the guitars and vocals come at you with so much conviction you can't help but listen.

With all the newer, more modern death metal out there these days it can be difficult to choose what to spend time listening to. This is a band that makes the decision easy after hearing only a couple songs and they stay quite consistent throughout the album, keeping with their style of aggressive riffs (and everything else), while changing the song structures enough to keep me interested. The guitars are really what make this album interesting and the dual melodies and layered riffs really give you something to focus on. The bass work is also quite powerful, though I did find myself wishing there would be more times when an obvious contrast between the two is used to full effect. All in all it's a very solid death metal album that I wish I would have heard sooner.