Review of Underthreat - Deathmosphere

I signed up to review this because I rather enjoyed this Columbian melodic death metal band’s debut, Behind Mankind’s Disguise from a couple of years ago even if it was melodic death metal and Deathmosphere basically carries on where Behind Mankind’s Disguise left off. After hearing Deathmosphere, I am beginning to believe that Underthreat might be the most underrated and unheralded band in a genre full of In Flames clones; without knowing the band’s origins, you might assume the band was born from the very bowels of Gothenburg and they easily match up to their Swedish and Finnish peers with ease.

The band is still a little raw, and many of their sumptuous harmonies get a bit 'busy', but it comes across like kids getting too excited when they speak rather than bad musicianship; Underthreat is trying so hard to blow you away they get ahead of themselves. Also, as with the debut, the production isn’t quite top notch and the songs are still a little too long, but even with those flaws, Deathmosphere gallops and jaunts through 11 lengthy Stockholm, early In Flames, early Dark Tranquillity and Eucharist inspired tracks with gusto and dual melodies aplomb.

If there is one new flaw to an otherwise, highly enjoyable album, it’s that the riffs seem to recycle a bit, but that’s minor when the riffs and dual guitars playing said riffs are so enjoyable. Unlike the more varied but template driven debut, the tracks are generally all very up tempo and brisk with little or no need for moody slowdowns or somber moments of introspection, except for the rather nice unnamed Flamenco inspired, acoustic track that ends the album. From the addictive opening canter of “Kingdom of Eternal Crisis”, through brusque thrashers “Parallel Hells” and “Echo Shaped Life”, blistering “Black Inertia Disintegration”, vitriolic “Prisoners of Their Own Betrayal” and the aforementioned bonus track, the album, despite its slight repetition entertains throughout.

I’m not sure how easy this is to purchase, but it's worth the effort and I reckon the band deserves some attention to maybe get a bigger label as they offer a pretty fresh perspective on a tired genre.

Release Details

Underthreat

Deathmosphere

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