As exhibit A I provide Ulcerate's latest album: Stare Into Death and Be Still. A command if I've ever heard one, and a lofty one at that.
Ulcerate play a unique brand of death metal. For the most part the twin guitars do whatever the hell they want with no regard to each other. This creates a unique take on dissonance. By themselves neither guitar would be that dissonant, but the combination of the two riffs creates something that challenges the brain in interesting ways.
In addition to the cacophony created by the guitars the drums deserve special mention here. Jamie is quite possibly one of the best talents in extreme metal. The drum patterns that he is able to come up with compliments the dissonance created by the guitars in a way that I believe no other drummer possibly could. It's not that the drums are off doing their own thing. No, this is more like they complete the insanity that is happening with the riffs.
Ulcerate has a very defined musical trajectory at this point, however they decided to throw in a curve ball on the current album: melody. Every so often there will be a riff that breaks the insanity of the dissonance and creates something that the brain can process easily and even remember on first listen. These melodies are what differentiates this album from previous entries into Ulcerate's discography, and possibly elevates the band to the next point in their evolution.
It's not often you get to hear an album such as this. It takes makes quite the bold statement with the title. The music largely lives up to it. Perhaps we should take note... much like the Israelis did when Yahweh commanded them to be still and know that I am God. Perhaps we as partakers of this album should indeed Stare Into Death and Be Still.
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