The Great Execution

Album Review

With 2008's superlative death/thrash beat down, Southern Storm, Krisiun answered most of the critics who questioned their career-spanning stylistic staying-of-the-course with a resounding, irresistibly powerful proof-of-concept; but three years thence change is surprisingly finally afoot within the Brazilian death metal veterans' eighth studio album, The Great Execution. According to the group, more ‘traditional' heavy metal influences were brought to bear on the new material (i.e. Sabbath, Priest & Maiden, rather than the usual Slayer, Kreator and Sodom), along with a strict, 100% analog recording regimen intended to keep sibling band members Alex Camargo (vocals/bass), Moyses Kolesne (guitars) and Max Kolesne (drums) honest throughout this supposed break with long-immutable ingredients. No need to panic, though: at the end of the day Krisiun's experimental mindset hardly produced a radical departure from their hyper-technical death/thrash comfort zone, just a focus on developing song ideas more deliberately over slower tempos. So while blistering guitar solos and quasi-blast-beat rhythms are never too far off, they tend to serve as brief and distinct passages here — not the be all, end all — of token tracks like "Blood of Lions," "Descending Abomination" and "Shadows of Betrayal." Also worthy of note: the standout title cut boasts unusual melodic lyricism in its opening sequence; the ambitious "Sword of Orion" and "Shadows of Betrayal" respectively pack acoustic guitar flourishes and a true — gulp! —chorus amid their epic frameworks; and the album's lone breakneck entry, "Extinção em Massa," of course contains rare Portuguese lyrics, perhaps in tribute to legendary countrymen Vulcano. All told, these qualities produce a fine album that may not sit well with all the Krisiun fans that stood by the band's resistance to change over the years, but will hopefully draw new fans to their cause with its broader ambitions.