With ‘Lord of Two Horns’, Drawn and Quartered further confirms itself as an important institution of Pacific Northwest American Death Metal after three decades of existence.
This record is merciless from beginning to end. From ‘Black Castle Butcher’, the drums immediately come in demolishing everything in their path. They are a crushing machine that goes beyond relentless blast beats; at times, listening to them feels like hearing organic matter being torn apart. The album is also filled with malevolent riffs, with some of my favorites appearing in ‘Zealous Depopulation’, and they never lose their strength as the record progresses. The shifts in guitar tone and distortion are perfectly executed, adding even more movement to the band’s already ferocious sound.
What is particularly remarkable is that the guitar solos do not need to become overly complicated in the middle of this sonic vortex. Their structure is well executed and delivers memorable moments without unnecessary excess. Nothing more is needed. This is Death Metal in its purest form.
The growls emerge from the entrails: dirty, vibrant and perfectly suited to the abrasive framework created by the bass and drums. Their impact feels physical, something you can feel in the pit of your stomach before it seems to spread across the walls around you.
There is certainly something to appreciate in the solemnity and atmosphere of many contemporary Death Metal, Death/Doom and other extreme productions, but there is also something deeply effective about a record that simply goes straight for the throat. Drawn and Quartered delivers brutality immediately and, at times, ends with nothing more than an abrupt conclusion. For fans of the wildest and most uncompromising Death Metal, this record has plenty of those moments. From the opening of the album to tracks like ‘Three Rivers of Poison (Blasphemous Persecution)’, the band maintains its momentum with remarkable intensity.
Of course, there are also passages that offer a brief moment to breathe: moments for slower, more cadenced headbanging, to take a sip of your beer, and to appreciate the virtuosity of the guitars before the next assault arrives. ‘Grimoire of Blood’ offers a particularly good balance between that progression of ferocity and the sense of evil that Drawn and Quartered has maintained throughout its releases since the beginning.
Towards the end of the record, I particularly enjoyed the way the band allows itself to gradually lower its revolutions without losing intensity. The final stretch feels like a preparation for the exit, still aggressive but slightly more controlled, even introducing elements of a more classic approach to Death Metal through a traditional, driving rhythm that repeatedly pushes the music forward before ending just as abruptly.
My favorite tracks were ‘Zealous Depopulation’, ‘Lord of Two Horns’ and ‘The Devil’s Work Is Never Done’. Together, they allowed me to appreciate the different facets of the band, its talent and the elements that make its sound work so well, something that is also supported by a strong production.
Drawn and Quartered knows exactly what its Death Metal is about. After three decades, the band continues to maintain its roots while evolving within a line that never feels exhausted. They may not always be the first name that comes to mind when thinking about the first waves of American Death Metal, particularly those of the 1990s, but their sound remains a contemporary remnant of that merciless, evil and well-executed Death Metal that introduced generations of old and new fans to the genre.
