Back in 1989 and 1990, the phrase "death metal is here to stay" would have raised eyebrows in some circles; back then, death metal's critics argued that it was too limited, too harsh, too extreme to have real longevity. But death metal has turned out to be surprisingly durable -- and despite the limitations of most death metal bands, the death metal/black metal field has maintained an enthusiastic cult following. In the early to mid-2000s, the Scandinavian countries provided an endless supply of new death metal and black metal bands; one of the death metal combos that came out of Stockholm in 2002 was
Vicious Art, which includes people who have been a part of
Dark Funeral (guitarist Matti Makela and drummer Robert Lundlin) and
Entombed (bassist Jörgen Sandström). Some Nordic bands have sidestepped extreme metal's limitations with the very comparable styles that have been termed "melodic death metal" and "symphonic black metal," both of which combine death metal/black metal elements with the sort of musicality and intricacy one expects from old-school headbangers like
Ronnie James Dio,
Iron Maiden, and
Queensrÿche. But one won't find that type of outlook on
Vicious Art's debut album,
Fire Falls and the Waiting Waters; this CD, like most death metal, is an exercise in bombast for the sake of bombast.
Vicious Art doesn't provide grindcore; the Swedes have no problem playing at breakneck speed, but they offer a lot of breakdowns and can easily pummel the listener at a medium tempo. Whatever the tempo, this album is ferocious -- and while the material certainly isn't groundbreaking by mid-2000s standards, those with a taste for extreme metal will find it to be a decent (if derivative) example of the hammer-to-the-skull approach. ~ Alex Henderson