Artist: Drowned
Country: Germany
Label: Sepulchral Voice Records
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2024
Although the band has been formed all the way back in 1993, German Death Metal band Drowned has been different from all of their peers ever since these early steps. Aside from the ‘Ærth’-EP from 1998, the band has solely been releasing a handful of demos until 2014, the year that finally saw the band’s long awaited debut album surface. The fact that that debut album finally became a reality combined with the near-perfect execution of the dark and haunting Death Metal on that album made it a widespread hope that the band would not fall back into the endless stream of demos. But instead of offering even more demos, the band felt silent for a decade before giving ‘Idola Specus’ a follow-up.
But, while people say that having patience is a virtue, the band really put that idea firmly to the test. Still, if there is one thing you can be sure of with Drowned, then it is that the band will forever stick to its regressive approach to the Death Metal genre. On the band’s previous releases they have shown that their view on the genre aesthetics are based on a profound sinister and oppressing atmosphere, quite unique in the worldwide Death Metal movement. Opposed to a lot of Death Metal bands from the band’s early demoing days as well as the Death Metal revival from around 2010, Drowned always offered something different. Their take on the genre was never built upon the touchstones of the most obvious pioneers, instead in the second half of their career they formed a somewhat unholy trinity with Excoriate and Necros Christos.
All of those three bands have distinctly different identities, but always seemed to have shared a bond in the sense that they were not opting for the simple and trodden way of mimicking Autopsy or Entombed, yet still being firmly rooted in the darker and more occult origins of the genre. All three also shared more than a slight resemblance with the Black Metal genre, in terms of a feeling of a somber sort of grimness. That meticulous blending is heard in bands such as Dead Congregation and Grave Miasma as well, but has way more in common with a band like Acheron than the usual picks of Cannibal Corpse, Obituary or Bolt Thrower.
Despite having had to wait a full decade for this new album, ‘Procul His’ justifies every minute of waiting. Just like ‘Idola Specus’ this newest album is another exercise in Death Metal perfection, building it up with thick layers of riffs onto as strong basis of pounding drums and topping off with some harsh grunting vocals. But describing it as juAlthough the band has been formed all the way back in 1993, German Death Metal band Drowned has been different from all of their peers ever since these early step. Aside from the ‘Ærth’-EP from 1998, the band has solely been releasing a handful of demos until 2014, the year that finally saw the long awaited band’s debut album surface. The fact that that debut album finally became a reality combined with the near-perfect execution of the dark and haunting Death Metal on that album made it a widespread hope that the band would not fall back into the endless stream of demos. But instead of offering even more demos, the band felt silent for a decade before giving ‘Idola Specus’ a follow-up.
But, while people say that having patience is a virtue, the band really put that idea firmly to the test. Still, if there is one thing you can be sure of with Drowned, then it is that the band will forever stick to its regressive approach to the Death Metal genre. On the band’s previous releases they have shown that their view on the genre aesthetics are based on a profound sinister and oppressing atmosphere, quite unique in the worldwide Death Metal movement. Opposed to a lot of Death Metal bands from the band’s early demoing days as well as the Death Metal revival from around 2010, Drowned always offered something different. Their take on the genre was never built upon the touchstones of the most obvious pioneers, instead in the second half of their career they formed a somewhat unholy trinity with Excoriate and Necros Christos.
All of those three bands have distinctly different identities, but always seemed to have shared a bond in the sense that they were not opting for the simple and trodden way of mimicking Autopsy or Entombed, yet still being firmly rooted in the darker and more occult origins of the genre. All three also shared more than a slight resemblance with the Black Metal genre, in terms of a feeling of a somber sort of grimness. That meticulous blending is heard in bands such as Dead Congregation and Grave Miasma as well, but has way more in common with a band like Acheron than the usual picks of Cannibal Corpse, Obituary or Bolt Thrower.
Despite having had to wait a full decade for this new album, ‘Procul His’ justifies every minute of waiting. Just like ‘Idola Specus’ this newest album is another exercise in Death Metal perfection, building it up with thick layers of riffs onto as strong basis of pounding drums and topping off with some harsh grunting vocals. But describing it as just being a bunch of solid riffs does not do any justice to the intricate way of how the band is weaving those riffs together into a whirling and massive sounding soundscape in which the dynamics are thrusted to unparalleled heights. The slow and doomy parts deepen the abyssal atmosphere and offer a grand contrast against the more speedy parts, further cementing the band’s status as one of Death Metal’s best kept secrets. In the oversaturated Death Metal scene of today, in which there seems very few bands really able to lift any of the genre’s standards, it feels like such a relief, almost a revelation, to caress your ears with a record that really manages to do full justice to really all dimensions of the genre.
Usually I try to stay away from those all too pretentious superlatives, but ‘Procul His’ definitely belongs to the very best Death Metal records in recent years. The uniqueness of Drowned, with their ability to wield such powerful riffs in an unmatched compelling atmosphere. With the death of Necros Christos (and though it has a sequel, Sijjin’s inability to even be able to stand in the shadow of its predecessor is a painful observation), the necessity of and need for a band like Drowned has only intensified. Perhaps the band’s slow work rate is part of its success, they will not get ahead of themselves and deliver only the quality expected. Cutting a long story short, ‘Procul His’ is a breath of fresh air for anyone who is passionate about the Death Metal genre, both in terms of musical value as well as its true aesthetics.
