Dustskill - Closing Circles

#FOR FANS OF: Melodic Death Metal, early In Flames and Dark Tranquillity

The debut EP from these German Melodic Death Metallers tends to go along pretty familiar routes here that can make this band appear pretty much stagnant and derivative. Whereas the majority of the bands of this style tend to play deep, heavy Death Metal bristling with melodic notes and accents, instead this group is more into the modern stance of the scene with plenty of mid-tempo or slower chugging patterns that offer breakdown-style riffing complete with twists between clean and growled vocals that suggest melody throughout but don’t really suggest a lot of actual Death Metal in their roots. This is due to the stripped-down, mechanical approach to the music here without much to really lay into the more aggressive side of their sound, which is without question the early-90s Gothenburg forbearers to this general scene. Those mid-tempo moments here are just too strongly rooted here to let that take hold, for while this does a more admirable job at establishing itself in the deathlier realms that the Metalcore crop that also emerged from said scene utilizing the same formulas, it just can’t get that solemn, melancholy feel to really let loose here which results in enjoyable if not exactly demanding work throughout here. Instrumental intro ‘The Circle Closes’ gets this started with a series of electronic bleeps and building tension that leads into proper first track ‘Here Comes the Fire’ really offers a lot of that great work with choppy drumming grooves, tight chugging and a gorgeous sense of melodic framework with the clean vocals mixed alongside the deep growls for an impressive first offering. ‘Restless Will’ offers a more traditional Death Metal assault here with the pounding kick-drumming, deep chugging and melodic surges that offer the best hints here of their overall future approach with a solid semblance of attack here, and sticks out as the best track accordingly, while ‘Broken Blockade’ features a slightly less up-tempo variation with far more frantic blasting drum-work amid the gorgeous melodic chugging intertwined throughout the final half for the album’s best two tracks. ‘Burning Dust’ goes for a more technical approach to the standard Gothenburg mindset throughout the vast majority here as the pounding drumming and charging riff patterns that are trying to eke out here are awash in melodic rhythms and tight chugging for an enjoyable if not exactly stand-out effort. ‘The Hundredth One’ turns towards mid-tempo chugging with a few scattered blastbeats among it’s more restrained and melodic moments are mixed alongside that slow, mid-tempo melodic chug that makes this another enjoyable if not spectacular offering. Lastly, ‘Rusty Skin’ again keeps the melodic mid-tempo chug at the forefront but not even at that previous one’s speeds which get close with a series of sharp rhythm-work throughout but the melodic keyboards and chug-based patterns keep this from really racing along and tends to end this on a down-note. Overall, this one isn’t all that bad but doesn’t really stand-out in the crowded scene as it is. (Don Anelli)

(Self - 2015)
Score: 65

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