Deviant
Larvaeon
7.6
I’m out of Twinkies – low fat, mind you – so it looks like I might as well write a review. Larvaeon has arrived via The Spew Records, a label that may not fully register until I mention that they’ve released notable discs by Leng Tch’e, Cock and Ball Torture, and Bodies in the Gears of the Apparatus. Well, two out of three ain’t bad. Anyhow, Deviant are a veritable Swedish frenzy as far as musicianship goes, while their remaining attributes showcase plenty of competence and flair.
Like Vile, these guys are polished, technical, and unafraid to incorporate all sorts of mind-bending changes within their songs. Astoundingly, however, this outfit enters the ring with the stone-cold confidence that only veterans can muster. Forming in 2002, Larvaeon is their maiden voyage into full-length waters, and the thirty-three minutes pan out wondrously. Deviant are both technical and brutal, but they refuse to be fully categorized as either though the traits are never far below the surface. After the introduction “Memento Mori” (Withered anyone?), “Fleshwork” blasts through upending the listener with two different vocal approaches, sudden tempo changes, and an intricate modern take on death metal. “Immaculate Rancidity” follows, and Alex opens with guttural growls while the troupe mimic Cryptopsy to a certain degree.
By this time, you should begin to notice that Deviant prefer bludgeoning in two/three minute increments, even though there are a couple anomalies strewn about. The closer, “Deviance,” is one such exception because it lasts for over five minutes, throws in a hefty amount of tempo variance, and is more lenient with guitar leads. Attempting to declare an overall winner, in the contest of song-versus-song, proves futile since so much of this debut is littered with know-how. In short, every composition warrants praise.
Nonetheless, although Deviant are not to be overlooked, they aren’t furthering anything with this release. In fact, much of Larvaeon replicates what’s appeared in the past, and there are people out there who will, as a result, shove this platter across the table. Plus the group is essentially unknown…or close to it. Perhaps the guest vocalists, Ronnie (21st Impact, Enemy is Us) and Gustav (Defleshed), will lure more individuals into the fold as well as the assertion that this recording is just a notch below stunning, if taken as directed.
