Before we get started, I have a confession to make. I am a sucker for Dan Seagrave and all of his artwork. Anything that his art adorns, I’m buying it. It could be 30 minutes of Taylor Swift farting in a bathtub, and if Mr. Seagrave is doing the cover art, put me down for a pre-order.
So now that I got my weirdness out in the open for all the world to read about, let’s dive into the “actual reasons” why we are here today. Also, while we are being honest and up front here, I just have to say I love the Floridian style of Death metal. Diabolic, early Deicide, Monstrosity, Malevolent Creation, just to name a few. Probably for you all as well, I still listen to many of those releases to this day. So, I must say on the onset and my first impressions, Glorious Depravity checks many of the boxes of my musical criteria. Besides the obvious being the Dan Seagrave cover art musically, I’m just getting a whole lot of Brutality and Killing Addiction as well. Needless to say, I had a huge smile on my face for much of the 30-minute runtime. Even with repeated listens, just to make sure what I was hearing was real and not just a figment of my (at times) overactive imagination.
So, what I can say that will make you give this a listen. If the above bands that I name-dropped don’t pique your interest, there is still so much that I can go on about. I can further mention some of the other bands that members of Glorious Drepravity also spend their time with. Most of which are eclectic and worthy of your time as well. Production is solid; the bass is there, but has usually the case for this genre not very prominent.
The drumming, while not groundbreaking, fits the bill and is locked into with the varied tempos and time changes. The dual guitars of George Paul and Matt Mewton are definitely riff-centric and catchy as hell. Even leaning towards some Thrash-like moments. I will admit they may be a tad bit thin-sounding. Not bad by any means, it’s just I prefer a bit more of a heft in the tones and also a bit of chunk in the delivery. I say this because with guitar playing is as engaging as this, with its varied styles and tones, and all the little eclectic squeals and feedback, it just added ear candy.
So, besides the engaging riff fest that we are presented with, I do have to give a tip of the hat to vocalist Doug Moore; he gives a dynamic vocal performance. From the deep Corpseginder-esque vocals to higher-pitched screams to a more spoken style growl. It all truly makes everything that much more interesting and lends heft to the overall songwriting. It’s here that I must say that all pieces, however substantial or not, come together in a joyful sonic union. Much like the typically overused term stating that the “whole” is different from (and often more than) the mere sum of its parts. I have seen rumbles elsewhere that this album lacks substance and may be too run-of-the-mill in sound. I would definitely have something to say on that matter. Despite my predilection for this form of Death Metal, I would espouse the virtues of the well-done and catchy songwriting and an honest if not solid addition to this particular genre.
Alas, that is for you all to decide on your own. Take the time to check the band.
