Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Krisiun
Label: Century Media
Released: 2006
Length: 46:29
Rating: 3.5/5
We probably all know Brazil for carnival, samba, the river our dear ultra-swimmer Strel “swam” down, and fat, sunburnt German tourists in thongs trying to pick up scantily clad local girls on Copacabana. Stereotypes aside, Brazil is also the home of Krisiun, who, along with Sepultura and Angra, are probably the country’s biggest metal export. The trio, made up of the Kolesne brothers (bassist and vocalist Alex goes by his mother’s surname, Camargo), has torn up stages all over the world in almost twenty years together and, with excellent death metal, become one of the most respected names in the genre. In 2006 they released AssassiNation and dedicated it to two musicians who died far too young, Dimebag Darrell (Pantera, guitar) and Krzysztof Raczkowski (Vader, drums).
Opening track Bloodcraft shows Krisiun in their true colors right away and, with that unmistakable sound, crushing rhythms, devastating drums and aggressive vocals, sends us off on a good three-quarters of an hour of suffering. Max’s drumming is typical death metal, so full of blast beats and supersonic marching on the double pedal, and that’s also the most disappointing part of the album. Sadly, AssassiNation is a pretty formulaic death metal record that stays within the narrow confines of the genre and doesn’t step outside them by even a centimeter. But Krisiun were never known as a band that experiments; they’re a band that charges ahead on brutality, aggression and speed, and that paid off for them right up to this album, but this time AssassiNation leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste. The drumming alone already builds a strong wall of rhythm, which is reinforced by the bass, not exactly distinct but solidly played, but when the rhythm guitar also functions only as part of the rhythm section, the overall sound stays a little bland. Moyses does play some varied riffs and interesting solos that recall the likes of Morbid Angel, Slayer or Vader, but too often it seems like those parts were dropped into the songs more or less at random. Still, there are a few pleasant surprises in the low-slung lick sections, sweeps with “pinch harmonics” and tremolo-picked lines that stand apart from the usual chaotic death metal solos that horribly overuse the whammy bar. Alex handles the vocal duties excellently, sounding brutal and clear at the same time, but Krisiun could have paid more attention to the lyrics, which once again mercilessly lash out at organized religion. The biggest criticism of the album, though, is aimed squarely at how similar the individual tracks are; they don’t differ much from one another, so they’re hard to remember. The short tribal track Summon stands out most from the monotonous whole, but sadly it comes off as more or less filler, along with the bonus track, an excellently death-metalized cover of Motörhead’s Sweet Revenge.
Even though AssassiNation is probably the weakest album of the Brazilian brothers’ career, doesn’t reach the originality of death metal bands like Nile or Suffocation, and serves up a few too many clichés, it’s still a great example of how real death metal should sound.
Lineup
Alex Camargo – vocals, bass
Moyses Kolesne – guitar
Max Kolesne – drums
Production
Andy Classen
Tracklist
1. Bloodcraft
2. Natural Genocide
3. Vicious Wrath
4. Refusal
5. H.O.G. (House of God)
6. Fathers Perversion
7. Suicidal Savagery
8. Doomed
9. United in Deception
10. Decimated
11. Summon
12. Sweet Revenge
