Insineratehymn have continued the Southern California trend of breeding some of the most uncompromising bands that the US has to offer. In all of my travels to San Diego and Los Angeles, I have noticed that there’s a certain element of evil, a devilish characteristic, if you will, that is common to many bands from the area. Insineratehymn is no exception.
The production value on ‘Irreverence of the Divine’ certainly faces the modern, think a more recent Aeon or Deicide record. This fact highlights the band’s 3rd full length’s best characteristic. Chunky, devil worthy riffs, relentless drumming and layered vocals take the spotlight on this release. This all to the album’s benefit, as all instruments including the bass are very clear and play their own individual part in the sonic assault this release offers. Despite a modern production, a trained ear can tell this is still very much an organically performed record. The drums and guitar work feel very human, which give the evil aura this record portrays even more weight.
Musically, songs like ‘Cosmic Abomination’ and ‘Delusive Omniscience’ give room for the guitars to shine with soaring, yet abusive lead guitar work. Others rely strictly on the mechanical, blasting nature that Death Metal is so known for these days to get their point across. Several vocal passages take a page from the inverted Glen Benton bible of a low growl layered with higher screams, which is always a plus for me.
While this is a VERY fundamentally sound Death Metal record that may sink in more after several listens, I just couldn’t find anything that stood out to me as overly memorable or had me going back to listen to any one section again. I feel that this record was a few hooks too short, and that with a few more catchy riffs and tempo breaks to switch up from the relentless speed that the record is based around, I’d probably have absolutely zero complaints. That said, I’d imagine the style of the music this band plays would have much more weight and impact in a live setting than through my computer speakers. Time to give this evil beast a few more spins and a dive through their backcatalog!
