With ‘Contempt For A Failed Dimension’ American Death Metal combo Faithxtractor have already arrived at their fourth album. Although each album saw the light of day via a different label and the line-up also changed here and there over the years, the band’s musical direction has actually always remained fairly stable. And so, even on this latest album, we hear a recognisable style that will please fans of their previous work.
While not overly original or particularly enervating, Faithxtractor still delivers a decent bite of Old School styled Death Metal. The music is once again packed with thick riffs and some good solos and leads where it is noticeable that the songs are well-crafted. This is something that is often missing from many Old School Death Metal bands, it’s not merely a matter of a few tasty riffs and a nice mid-tempo rhythm. The art of good Old School Death Metal lies in a certain amount of catchy song writing. That’s something Faithxtractor have understood quite well. It all nicely blends together in a well-produced piece of Death Metal. But that is also where the downsides can be found: the sound is just a bit too neat. It could well be a lot less polished, a bit grittier, nastier. The music really deserves a bit more punch and a dirty edge.
Although the music sounds well thought out and the total clocks in at less than half an hour, the album still passes quite unnoticed. A shame as far as I’m concerned, because the band clearly has much more to offer than the average (Old School) Death Metal band.
