Let me introduce you guys to a sickening, demented and lurid dimension in brutal Death Metal music. Well, ye’know, there are extreme bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Deeds of Flesh, Vile, Dying Fetus and the like. We all know these fountainheads of today’s extreme Metal movement. The question whether these acts can still be labelled as underground and free of commercial biases is a vividly debated matter. But that’s not the point here… the thing is that there has always been a constant undercurrent of even more extreme bands. In recent years such phenomena could be detected in the Dutch, Brazilian, and Scandinavian scenes – at least that’s what the underground media came across with. Just think of bands such as Disavowed, Pyaemia, Severe Torture, Beheaded, Deranged, to name but a few. DESPONDENCY definitely belong to this undercurrent of extreme Death Metal acts that don’t give a shit about commercial tendencies – and that is positive in the first place. In 2001 the band released their first output “Extinction” which gained them positive reactions indeed. Now these sickos come up with another (promotional) CD bearing the subtle title “Womb Of Shit”. Well, such insipid titles are debatable – I personally think they are quite infantile – but hey, I reckon this kind of title-codex is a sound characteristic of this scene. Apart from that, people who are keen on Death Metal acts whose chief interest is to redefine and arouse standards of brutality with every new album will be more than happy with this effort. First of all, “Womb Of Shit” surprises with a transparent production Jörg Uken of Soundlodge Studios (Obscenity, Gallery of Darkness, Ingurgitating Oblivion, Gorezone…) was in charge of. The guitars are really well-done (production-wise). The guitar sound is highly distinct, heavy, natural… maybe they could just be slightly crunchier, a bit more aggressive – but that’s something guitarists could dispute about eternally (well – and I am one, so let’s leave it like that). The guitar work mainly concentrates on rather simple structures, utilising chords that accentuate the drums in this typical Suffocation / Brodequin-and-friends kind of style. Otherwise there are some hammerings, a few hook-lines, some straight forward staccato bits. But, chiefly, the guitar work is relatively minimalistic to guarantee uttermost brutality. The drums – well, that’s always a tricky business when it comes to Death Metal productions. A remarkably big part of Death Metal drummers and producers are just not very sensitive when it comes to bass-drum sounds and the snare’s characteristic. That’s a weak point here, too. I think the bass drum sounds sooooo artificial and lacks aggression. It’s the same with the snare – why don’t people just use an ordinary compressor to push up the level? Bands such as Malignancy, Origin, Deranged, Vile… proof that a natural sound can be achieved without triggering the snare in such an obvious fashion – anyway. Apart from this observation, the drums are just awesome (quite literally!). Dirk probably is one of the most remarkable drummers in the German scene. He’s extremely fast, tight, creative and totally in control – and that’s a rarity in this scene, I think. The drum-patterns he performs are utterly complex, contrived, and so brutal. Marvellous! The bass-guitar supports the whole production from beginning to end – I don’t assume that this component plays a significant role in DESPONDENCY’s sound, for it’s not highlighted or elevated anywhere… It just serves the traditional supportive purpose. The vocals are guttural, perverse, ultra-deep, and frightening. Well – nothing innovative really, but well-done, in control and supportive concerning the nightmarish atmosphere of this output. What I really like about Konstantin’s vocals is the fact that they kind of embrace the compositions, they keep everything in order and convey a certain compactness. This output is extreme, it’s fast, it’s brutal, it’s vicious… the production is, despite the few negative points I’ve noted, far above average – nevertheless, the result doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and probably this isn’t the intention of DESPONDENCY anyhow. But, I suppose a certain innovative potential is necessary to set a band above the general average of bands that crave to achieve individuality in the scene… still, this album is bound to make freaks who are into really extreme Death Metal material (Cinerary, Brodequin, Disavowed, Malignancy etc.) kneel down and rejoice in euphoria… Sickos interested in this output should contact the band via the address below and enquire for prices / postage conditions, etc. c/o Steffen Ilm, Pferdemarkt 16 3/09, 26121 Oldenburg, Germany, deadilm@web.de