Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Exmortem - Nihilistic Contentment - Wicked World/Earache Records - 2005

Track Listing 1.Flesh Havoc 2.Bitter Discipline 3.The Human Rape Symphony 4.Black Walls Of Misery 5.Division Of Genocide Pleasure 6.Swamp Of Decadence 7.Symbols Of Inhumanity 8.Fix Of Negativity 9.Graveside Mourning Ritual 10.Parasite Paradise

For the love of all that is heavy, this album totally kicked my ass!!!! I was in no way prepared for the fury I was about to unleash when I popped this album into my CD player. I have purchased the past two releases by this band and this being the first release available domestically I jumped on the chance to get this album quicker than I have in the past. It seems that the band just gets more angry and pissed off with each release, constantly one upping themselves on the level of heaviness they bring to the table.

This Dutch beast churns out some severely sick and twisted death metal on "Nihilistic Contentment". Fans of Decapitated, Vader, fellow Dutchmen God Dethroned and any fan of heavy music will immediately drool and possibly crap themselves upon hearing this album. Songs like "Flesh Havoc", "The Human Rape Symphony" and "Graveside Mourning Ritual" will just eat you up and spit back out remnants of flesh and bone after they are done. I haven't heard anything this heavy in quite a while and I must say that it feels damn good. It's almost like you just got into a knock down, drag out fight for your life after this CD is through with you. The band continues to mature and improve with their sound and guitarist Martin Sigtyr delivers crushing and brutal riffs. Vocalist Simon Petersen prooves that he can growl and grunt as well as any veteran death metaller out there. The low end on the album is provided by bassist Andreas Schubert and drummer Michael and just make the album that much more killer. The production leaves no room for any soft or easy sounds and if you play this album too loud you just might make your ears bleed.

I can sit here and compare this band to countless other bands but that would be doing them an injustice. Exmortem has a sound all their own and it's obvious that they love to make some heavy, heavy music. If you are squeamish and wary of heavy music stay the hell away from this release because you really won't even be able to take more than a second of it before you are crushed into nothing. Fans of heavy/extreme metal this is a release for you. But I recommend this with caution because it is incredibly brutal and will probably leave you bloody and bruised, much like a good mosh pit. If you feel that you can handle this album, go pick it up because I have a feeling that the next Exmortem album will be even heavier and more brutal than this one.


-Chaoslord 03.28.05