Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Location: Skopje, Macedonia
Album Year: 2011
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Tracklist:
1. Feeding the Necrovoid
2. Antimatter Vortex
3. March for the Saviours Head
4. Disturbing the Equilibrium
5. Breeding Inexorable Scorn
6. Dwelling in Necrochaos
7. Immaculate Dominance of Iniquity
8. Usurper Legion
9. Metastasis of Chaos
As far as brutal death metal (BDM) and slam goes, I am particularly new to the genre. I was introduced to this genre by way of Dying Fetus a year and a half ago. Ever since then my interest in these two genres have gradually increased until it just absolutely exploded just a couple of months ago. I cannot get enough of brutal death and slam and I have been buying CD’s from underground death metal labels like crazy. One of the labels that I have been buying from is Sevared Records. They are at the top of the game as far as death metal goes. One of the bands on this label is a band all the way from Macedonia called Formless Terror. While they are not as great as some of the other bands I’ve found on my brutal death/slam splurge, they still fit in what I have been looking for.
In my findings for good BDM/slam, I have found that this genre is extremely global. I have found bands from everywhere on Earth, except Antarctica of course, so finding out that Formless Terror are from Macedonia is no surprise to me. It seems like the better BDM/slam bands come from different countries and continents than my own but that is my opinion.
For people wondering whether this is a BDM or slam album, there is a difference, this is a BDM band. There is a hint of slam influence like in “March for the Saviours Head,” but not much else other than that. The band also throws in a decent amount of technicality in there, almost reminiscent of Deadly Remains or Dying Fetus. Not enough to be labeled as tech-death but still a good amount.
The vocals are what you would expect from a death metal release. Really no surprises here. You have really low gutturals and that is pretty much it. The vocalist does not have much range but you can get away with that in this genre. The album cover gives away what the lyrics are about. This album is anti-religious and mentions the “Choronzon,” a mythical demon originated in the sixteenth century, in a couple of songs. Nothing here is new with the anti-religious theme but the band does take an interesting take on the subject.
The main thing that makes this a good listen is the production. Good production on a BDM/slam album goes a long way and this album has it. The vocals, the guitars, the drums are all very clear. Nothing sounds muddy our underproduced. However, the guitar riffs on this album kinda seem below par. While the riffs are enjoyable, there really is nothing groundbreaking or memorable about them. The drums are the same way. The drumming on this album does not stand out at all. However, it does get the job done.
Formless Terror put together a very solid release back in 2011. While “Sovereign Chaos Authority” is not breaking any new ground in death metal, it is still a enjoyable listen. I say definitely give this a listen and if you are one of those people who like to collect underground death metal albums, like I am starting to become, then this would fit perfectly in your collection.
Rating: 7/10