In light of all the death metal that has sucked throughout the years since the immortal slump of metal giants Mortification, this cd may in fact, come as a very nice breath of death air. This cd may not be mixed well, and may not even be very good. But it has the old-school death metal feel that bands like oblation, Cryptopsy and even the ol' Mortification had down so tight way back when. There are some interesting points to the lyrics that give some new light upon Christ centered lyrics. There are some beautiful psalms exalting God and his great works, some triumphant calls of holiness through Christ, a call for the truth of love... and two songs that challenge the very roots of modern Christianity. I have lots of respect for this album if just for the mix of God praising lyrics and a little modern Christian bashing. Rebuke the Church is a song against making false religion out of personal wealth, or just misunderstanding... it's difficult to explain, and somewhat scattered thoughts put together in a song. Parallel the Righteousness is a great lyrical song talking about sincerity within repentance will lead to a new creation, but religious works of sinful flesh to attempt to gain salvation leads no where.
the song claims,
"The convicted serial killer relishes the last hour of life
With tears of hope and joy, he receives forgiveness
As his sins are washed away by the Blood
As he is strapped to the table
The lethal poison flows through his veins
An unforgiving society looks on in triumph
As he is held in the arms of a forgiving Saviour
Religious person number one looks back at his life
Pleased with the good works he has done
Church attendance, paying tithes, has him secure
But a relationship with Christ is something he has no time for
Untimely death leaves him surprised
As he is found guilty in the face of Christ
"Lord, Lord, didn't I do these works in Your name?"
"Depart from me, I never knew you!"
True repentance makes you a new creation
Not religious works of sinful flesh"
powerful truth speaking lyrics.
Musically, this album has some good stuff, some bad stuff, and some outright strange stuff. The album will take you on a pounding deathcapade and suddenly turn into jazz night at the Hobo Lounge. Then as swiftly as it came, it disappears back into it's little hole and you're banging your head to death metal again. These little outbursts of odd jazz creativity are kinda great... and can sometimes be very annoying. Another thing that took the album down a little was the fact that there were no real stand-out songs... unless they were somewhat and particularly bad. While Parallel the Righteousness is a good lyrical song, it's some of the worst music available on the album. Overall, get this if you like death metal. It is good. If you don't like death metal, or haven't found any death metal you are into... don't get this, it won't be your gem album that brings you to the understanding of the greatness of this music.
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #76Reviewed by Doug Van PeltWow! Brutal intensity with fun musical additives. Listen closely and you'll hear all sorts of fun riffs, like Kiss' "She," and other quirky but lethally heavy and played with talent, showing insight into the creative genius of Billy Fraser (former drummer for Oblation), who did this as a solo project. Hungry for the heavy? Dig into this groove-death-core.The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Chris KingMan o' man this is a cool album. There have been quite a few very good extreme metal bands coming out in the "Christian market" lately, and this album is right there near the top. Discern is Bill Fraser, ex-drummer from Oblation...and that's it. He does get a little help here and there from others, but Discern is primarily a one-man grind machine, and grind it does! This is fast and brutal death…Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by FletchDid someone say grindcore? To me, this cd goes well right along with Chords of the Grave. In fact, this band would have fit well on that cd except it's not really a band (it's a solo project) and Discern is still active. The drumming is explosive and the guitars are powerful. What more could you ask for? A great grindcore vocalist you say? Well, Discern has that too. As far as grind goes, it's…Dead Zine 1998Reviewed by MuchChords of the Grave, Christian death metal's most recent compilation was not only punishing to our ears, but punishing to our hearts. All because every band decided to be a bunch of "poopy butts" and break up. Members of OBLITERATION have now became DEATHLIST, an inferior answer to the brutality they once displayed. Members of DISENCUMBRANCE are now DETRIMENTAL, who still rip, but are no longer…Similar sounding releases
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