Decision D
Moratoria (Pre-Release)
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Decision D's sophomore effort, "Moratoria," doesn't show the kind of musical progression that they made from their demo to their album. What they have done, however, is delve deeper into the broad and sometime nebulous genre of death metal. Most of the band's sound is void of the killer riff or happenin' groove that pulls a classic headbanger into the hardcore side of music. What I find here is a collection of scattered ideas and jams that change time and mood, but never seem to come together for a cohesive force. Those who will rush to the stage for any slammin' band and just headbang or mosh for 45 minutes straight regardless of the musical aspects might dig this record. It's cool in one category--and that is the total anti-commercial sound. Most of my gripes here, I realize, seem to be aimed more at this progressive/technical and grind side of thrash metal than this particular release. There just wasn't much that I could sink my teeth into here. Hardcore bands like The Crucified had big grooves; technical bands like Believer have an edge in the technical skills department; the early Vengeance Rising had hook sensibility; and Mortification and Living Sacrifice settle into high-speed grooves. Even Deicide has the extra oomph! to take their listeners over the top of the intensity scale with its speed and sonics. Sure, Decision D can play death metal, but I'm not finding anything to make them stand out from the pack that this genre boasts. The vocals of Christian Edwards are passionate and creative--ranging from the operatic high end to low growls--but they're not dominate enough in the mix to make a difference, nor intelligible enough to be appealing. These guys have a cool heart for ministry and a good leader, but I'm not sure if they'll appeal to many outside the underground death/grindcore audience. Therefore, proceed with caution. For ordering info, write: PO Box 762, 3500 At Utrecht, The Netherlands.