DEINONYCHUS is a band of interest to me. DEINONYCHUS and BETHLEHEM have multiple points of intersections that fascinate me, so I’ve kept an eye out on DEINONYCHUS passively. What we have here on “Fatalist” is very simple, it is heavy, heartbreaking, unnerving at times and insanely engaging. At the core of all the darkness captured here is a focussed mind with an aim of keeping it all very close to the centre. Slow heavy riffs take up all the space on the album, the vocals are authoritative but seem all over the place. I’d have appreciated it if the vocals were mixed a notch lower, but a tad more regulated, but I see why they are the way they are. Marco Kehren’s vocals are easily one of the most important dimensions of this music and I can see why all the other layers of music have been built around Marco’s vocals. Regardless, DEINONYCHUS’s music is pretty straightforward as a template, the slow, painful guitars, delicate drumming and the keyboards erect walls that bleed with a sense of hypnotic pain. The album can be split into two with the first three tracks diving deep into the Black / Doom territory, whilst the last three tracks embrace the spirit of Black Metal pretty thoroughly, which is absolutely phenomenal. I really love the second part of the album where the vocals are in sync with the aggressive guitars and drumming. Yes, this is typical aggressive Black Metal, but my goodness, this is done so bloody well. DEINONYCHUS literally elevates this into art form, really well done! Also, I hate how ‘A Cross To Bear With Sorrow’ ends, the band does not have the right to do me dirty like that. This is easily my favourite track on the album. Absolutely brilliant! For more information please visit: www.facebook.com/deinonychusofficial, www.facebook.com/vanrecords