Neverlight Horizon
No Heaven... Only Torment
6
Synopsis:
After a slew of solid, mostly homegrown releases, Shiver Records returns to mediocrity with the second album from Belgium’s heavily US inspired death metallers, Neverlight Horizon.
Review:
With a tangible Floridian influence, especially Imperial Doom era Monstrosity, Deicide and such, but rendered with a more typical chunky Belgian sound, Neverlight Horizon are a competent but rather average, middle tier act with little to offer other than a solid, but predictable death metal fare.
Covering the usual themes of death, demons and all things death metal, Neverlight Horizon churn and blast their way through nine tracks (one outro) of forgetful death metal that covers all the expected bases--deep growls, mid range screams, squealing blast beats and a few rumbling slowdowns all delivered with a bottom heavy production that’s just not quite all there, as the guitars and vocals sound a bit low in the mix behind the dominating drums and bass.
I’d like to sit here and be a little more detailed with you about No Heaven...Only Torment (an album title ripped straight from 1995) but truth be told, none of the eight actual songs did anything other than remind me how tepid death metal can be if not done just perfectly. Tracks like “Demon Rising” and "Lifeless Domain" had some okay moments and there’s a few experimental Death-like bass lines that surface, but otherwise, the album is completely faceless in the overcrowded death metal genre. Even for an album that has no breakdowns, pig squeals or short hair and tries to resurrect the classic Floridian sound it has very little appeal or lasting impression.
Even Shiver’s other ‘unoriginal’ death metal acts like Ordeal, Battalion, Fleshmould, Welkin, Moker and The Seventh at least had some form of decent and memorable moments that made their simple approach far more effective, Neverlight Horizon don’t have that and I won't be looking forward to future releases unless the band improves greatly for their next album.
