AlbumsNovember 29, 201112,126 views

Decapitated Organic Hallucinosis


Organic Hallucinosis
1. Poem About an Old Prison Man 2. Day 69 3. Revelation of Existence (The Trip) 4. Post(?)Organic 5. Visual Delusion 6. Flash B(l)ack 7. Invisible Control
2006 Earache Records
Our score 8

2/18/2006

Decapitated's Organic Hallucinosis witnesses the band returning after a two year recording hiatus with a new singer and a revitalized sound. While I've already seen and heard many bristling about the band's new direction, I can say with full confidence that this is the most focused and compelling album Decapitated has produced to date. What's most satisfying about this release is Decapitated's evolution from an outstanding (but mostly meat and potatoes) technical death metal machine, into a disturbing beast of a far more dissonant nature. While the emphasis here remains on writing serpentine, fret wandering riffs and executing them with red-eyed ferocity; the band's new found ability to manipulate guitar harmonies and create a haunting atmosphere has scooped them out of the creative slump I felt they had hit on The Negation. "Poem About an Old Prison Man" begins the album, and sounds like no other Decapitated song I've heard before. Far more dissonant and ambitious than works found on previous albums, "Poem" occilates between satisfyingly complex riffs and jangling, acerbic chord progressions in a way that doesn't place the emphasis too strongly on technical wizardry or minimalistic atmospherics. Instead, the band utilizes both to create perhaps the finest song they've written to date. On "Post()Organic" the band exploits such dazzling command of both their skill as riff writers, and their now fully developed ability as composers to make for a song so ripe with brilliantly executed transitions and well timed pay-offs that I was actually put on the edge of my seat. Other tracks, like "Flash B(l)ack" are all out riff assaults that harken back to earlier albums like Winds of Creation. Considering the sophisticated level that most of the album operates at, it's rewarding to hear a track where the band simply riffs out. For those keeping track, detractors seem to be taking the most offense with the vocal styling of new frontman, Covan. His gruff, monotone bark is far from thrilling, but hardly as polarizing as some would like you to believe. If I can editorialize for a moment, most of the complaints about Covan's vocals appear to be coming from newjacks who just recently traded in their Red Chord t-hirts for something more brutal, and have now begun the mad dash for message board credibility by bashing anything remotely -core related. These people are tasteless morons who should be gassed along with their useless opinions. Moving on. The production here is crisp as you would expect from a Decapitated album. Accordingly, the drums are nearly as mechanical and clicky as you might also expect. However, considering the level of precision and cohesion with which this band performs, the slightly dehumanized production is almost a given. Bottom Line: The sound may have evolved, but the core ethic has remained the same. Decapitated continue to challenge themselves from a technical standpoint, and now they are writing songs with the confidence of a band well beyond their years (let's not forget that the foundation of this group is barely out of their teens). I don't know what else to say. Decapitated have made the kind of album that those concerned about the continued growth of death metal can rightfully relish in.

49 comments

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anonymous 2/18/2006 11:02:08 AM

boom

jack mama_ 2/18/2006 11:15:51 AM

agree 110%

Catty comment_ 2/18/2006 11:23:19 AM

RAWWRR. NEWJACKS AND RED CHORD SHIRTS, RAWWWR.

picturesofme_ 2/18/2006 12:04:25 PM

"These people are tasteless morons who should be gassed along with their useless opinions." hahaha. good review.

boobsandbeers_ 2/18/2006 12:37:16 PM

Great album; new material sounds great live. but they needed a longer set on the Nile tour... very focused and interesting songs; and pretty heavy production; solid release (but short)

zap_branagen_ 2/18/2006 12:43:35 PM

Baddass album; really talented dudes; though a leading band already they should be a great death metal act for years, as long as they don't turn down a road like Carcass slipped into, and slow down

boobsandbeers_ 2/18/2006 12:45:54 PM

Covin pulls off great vocals live, i might add, and sounds a bit different then on the album, which is good cause all the old songs like Spheres of Madness sound perfect live.

stab_joey_bishop_ 2/18/2006 2:39:26 PM

Bad vocalist

haha_ 2/18/2006 3:11:33 PM

New jab at the forum posters, it was entirely accurate and deserved.

truthsayer_ 2/18/2006 3:27:30 PM

"...newjacks who just recently traded in their Red Chord t-hirts for something more brutal, and have now begun the mad dash for message board credibility by bashing anything remotely -core related. These people are tasteless morons who should be gassed along with their useless opinions." - e.g. all of Lambgoat.

anonymous 2/18/2006 3:29:28 PM

These guys are pretty tight, but they are by no means more brutal than Red Chord as the reviewer will have you believe. Anyways, should be picking this up soon.

Lordofchaos_ 2/18/2006 3:33:19 PM

Man this album is soooo brootal!! It rawks your face off!!. Get out here all you "core" fans, your not wanted. Death metal rules>>anything else

anonymous 2/18/2006 3:52:44 PM

death metal is stupid and why no one will ever consider your opinion valid

Kanye West_ 2/18/2006 4:50:56 PM

Dave Fonesca doesn't care about The Red Chord.

captnigga_ 2/18/2006 7:14:47 PM

awesome band/album

Mike_ 2/18/2006 11:27:23 PM

Good review, I managed to track down one of the ltd/1000 UK version with dualdisc full DVD show + bonus full CD show (different one)...3 items...look into it if you think the album on its own is too short. p.s. your c-ck is too short

radar_ 2/19/2006 12:15:21 AM

what the f*ck is wrong with the red chord?

davefons_ 2/19/2006 12:03:40 PM

I like the red chord. People who are too brutal for "core" vocals were the subject of my criticism.

xCERVIXDESTROYERx_ 2/19/2006 12:49:21 PM

"most of the complaints about Covan's vocals appear to be coming from newjacks who just recently traded in their Red Chord t-hirts for something more brutal, and have now begun the mad dash for message board credibility by bashing anything remotely -core related. These people are tasteless morons who should be gassed along with their useless opinions". f*cking brilliant!!

xCERVIXDESTORYERx_ 2/19/2006 12:51:20 PM

and seriously, f*ck the red chord. shit band, two gigantic shits for albums. decapitated is infinitely more brutal and crushing.

anaturaldisaster_ 2/19/2006 1:26:37 PM

This reviewer didn't f*ck around. Awesome record, and I like the Red Chord.

hotaction_ 2/19/2006 6:10:03 PM

will pick this up. f*ck the red chord

xxmaroofxx_ 2/19/2006 8:57:20 PM

I'm so sick of people jocking death metal simply for it being Br0000tal. How f*cking childish is that. Its time to grow the f*ck up and listen music that displays some amount of actual talent. Sure, Decapitated have the chops, but even their spin on the genre doesn't take away from the fact that death metal is, in the end, mindless, repetative, boring, and inhabited by an infinate number of meatheads looking to hurt someone to feel strong. No care ever at all. I hope everyone knows the band is h

Severdintwo_ 2/19/2006 8:58:46 PM

^^gay gay gay

xxmaroofxx_ 2/19/2006 9:02:27 PM

f*ck off "severed". And remember guys, ANYONE can play brutal music, so thats a pretty stupid reason to jock the genre. Shit, the Beatles could've played brutal death if they wanted to. Its as if people actually believe that death metalers play it because they have this "power" to be able to and are the only ones who can. Gosh thats funny.

johnpaulgeorgeringo_ 2/19/2006 11:32:10 PM

LUCY IN THE SKY WITH MOTHERf*ckIN DIAMONDS!! BLAAARRRGGGG.

anonymous 2/19/2006 11:50:46 PM

xxmaroofxx ought to not confuse death with 100 demons, diecast, or any number of shitty core gays. Last time I looked FSU and straightedge moshcore floordonkeypunchers weren't into dm. Try listening to Cryptopsy or Gorguts before opening your mouth.

fecalbombardment_ 2/20/2006 12:11:47 AM

I don't knwo about this album, I guess I just like the "dissonance" and true, death metal vocals dont always have to be "bruutal" but in the context the new vocals don't fit the band like the old vocals. P.S.xxmaroofxx is a gay.

xxmaroofxx_ 2/20/2006 4:19:16 AM

Um, last I checked, I never once believed 100 demons, despised icon, or any other "core" bands had anything to do with death metal. I've seriously heard all the so called "greats" including suffocation, death, cryptopsy, devourment, kataklysm, dying fetus, necrophagist, and yes, decapitated, and none of them really did anything for me. O.K., Necrophagist did, and some later DEATH, but thats because they're technical death that actually write/wrote interesting songs. But brootal death seriously b

lionface_ 2/20/2006 8:02:15 AM

t-hirts

burzum_ 2/20/2006 12:12:47 PM

Arrgghhh, I hate you and the bands you like!!

panzram_ 2/20/2006 1:05:53 PM

Good review, Fonseca

heartwork_ 2/20/2006 1:33:58 PM

Great band Good review

prennick_ 2/20/2006 2:01:39 PM

Nicely Done

pacsiah_ 2/21/2006 1:41:48 PM

floorpunching ninja warriors have ruined just about every hardcore show ive been to over the last several years. thank god we still have big drunk metal pits to enjoy and fall back on. decapitated = good.

ANSELMOisGOD_ 2/21/2006 7:53:19 PM

hell of a band, gay vocals

jshaft37_ 2/23/2006 12:52:08 AM

all these songs are awesome for about a minute. then they get repetetive and boring.

boobsandbeers_ 2/24/2006 1:03:13 AM

ATTENTION f*ckBAGS: IF you don't like death metal, Decapitated or whatever, stuff the gay commentary. Boring? Repetative? Garbage? f*ck YOU! Because it doesn't do anything for you doesn't make it garbage. Who died and made you gay-king of all that is music? I wonder if anybody here can actually "play" any of this music, or even write something comparable. Or I guess I'm out on a limb here. Regardless, save your comments for your kind of music. And once again, Covan sounds completely different

Jbeaver_ 2/24/2006 2:54:16 AM

This shit isn't hard to write, its just a little hard to play, from a drummer's standpoint anyway. Big wup, doesn't it make it good music. It also doesn't change the fact that it's still unitelligible, uninspired crap, unless of course your a f*ckin cro-mag. Death metal is made by and listened to by people just about as dumb or dumber than tough-guy hardcore bands. Listen only if you feel like getting dumber by the minute. Shitty Shitty Shitty!!

boobsandbeers_ 2/24/2006 9:44:35 AM

^ You are an ignorant fool. Tell that kind of shit to our faces, and see what happens. If you even knew some of these dudes, you'd eat your words. I live 10 minutes from Diet of Worms studios, and 30 or so from Mana- nobody working/recording there are the kind of people you think we are. You are sorely mis-informed. Again, you don't like death metal, fine, it doesn't do anything for you. Like all genre's, there are some pretty weak, block-headed bands. But there is surely a wealth of great musi

boobsandbeers_ 2/24/2006 9:48:59 AM

And from a drummer's standpoint, try telling Derrick Roddy or Eric Sandoval their music is easy to play. Comming from a guitarists view: it's not Malmsteen/Vai/other virtuoso level of playing, but it's by no means easy.

ghetto_paul_ 2/24/2006 1:43:17 PM

I love this album. haven't stopped listening to it since I picked it up. 9/10

jbeaver_ 2/24/2006 1:45:13 PM

Thats exactly what I said WAS hard to play. The drumming. I as a drummer am well aware I couldn't play 90% of death metal drumming. But that still doesn't make me like it. I don't know, I guess its just because the people in my town who listen to dm are usually stupid ghetto mexicans(I am hispanic), which gives me a bad impression. I respect the genre for what it is, but like you said, it just doesn't do anything for me. And you're right, I wouldn't say anything negative to any of your faces, fo

boobsandbeers_ 2/24/2006 2:24:57 PM

Six Feet Under, Cannibal Corpse = not exactly rocket science. Nile? Behemoth? older Slayer? Technical proficiency abounds, my friend, esp. in the guitar department. Anyone who has toured around the glob a bit will tell you, there are some dumbass fans out there. That's what keeps pop-culture music alive: dumb people listen to it, and bands/groups turn out even dumber music to keep them reeled in. But there are lots of more "sophisticated" fans too, or just those who appreciate solid musicianship

fk_ 2/24/2006 6:46:33 PM

excellent review. and i dont just say that because i agree with it. this album stimulates me like none of you gays ever could

united_ninety_three_ 3/7/2006 10:11:14 PM

this album is a snore. get nihility.

vcx_ 3/9/2006 7:46:14 AM

haha, maroof is so gay, not everyone listens to death metal because its so brootal. i mean, for me i enjoy the energy of it.. if you dont like it, fine, i think its f*cking catchy as hell (yeah you heard me) anyway, i wasnt a fan before this album came out. buy it

Imperial_ 10/14/2006 6:59:22 PM

I don't see whats so great about this album. Yea its GOOD, but doesn't deserve the hype everyone here seems to be giving it. They kinda sound like Living Sacrifice btw

anonymous 11/21/2008 1:09:48 AM

good review. the album definitly would have been alot more interesting with some more dynamics in the vocal department, although i dont really mind them. kind of reminds me of wolverine blues era entombed only with less belt.