Crematorium "The Process of Endtime" (Prosthetic)
By Taylor Green
Thursday. Sep 08, 12:01 AM
This music shot me in the face.

Like a bullet to the head, Los Angeles' Crematorium are out to destroy the senses of the metal scene with their latest release, The Process of Endtime. The 10-track journey into the sludgy and brutal world of gorecore is a shining gem for one of the strongest underground bands in the metal scene currently. But a label like Prosthetic doesn't sign a band unless they can seriously tear shit up. And Crematorium have been doing so for years, dubbing their intense take on extreme music as "murdercore." Halfway between the most extreme grindcore bands on the scene to the level of Gorerotted, Napalm Death, or early Carcass and the brooding, highly precise musicianship of death metal acts such as Vehemence and Suffocation, Crematorium have the complete package to arise from local status in the highly competitive Los Angeles music scene and make an impact on a national level.

On The Process of Endtime, there's a great diversity between tracks, allowing the album to never get stale through the many times I've listened to it. Every riff is strong and steady, a never ending combination of straight up death and thrash throughout, and the solos scattered through the album are wonderfully placed and masterfully executed. The band seems more mature from their last record. Though the sound seems a little toned down compared to the last, it is much more thought out, and much more musically complete, showing a large progression from the foundations built by their first album. The five members seem to know where everything should go and why it should go there, a trademark not usually applied to grindcore bands. But Crematorium surprise many with the maturity. It will open them up to a wider fan base as well, but not because anything is toned down or lost in translation. This album is more complete and more thought out than their previous, likely attributed to their diverse touring schedule since being signed.

Crematorium remain true to themselves and up the ante in every aspect of the music. As mentioned earlier, riffs are tight, but just beyond that, vocals seem to compliment the music more soundly, and the drum onslaught comes from multiple directions this time, reminiscent of a Kataklysm death march than a typical grind or death act.

By fusing together various sounds and then uniquely packaging them as their own, Crematorium breathe a new life into the metal world with The Process of Endtime. Fans of the first album will be pleasantly surprised, and fans of Sick Of It All, Aborted, Obituary, Deicide, Death, and others of the fold will welcome this release into their collection with open arms. If you ever get the chance, check this band out live. Without question, they are one of the best opening acts in metal today. When they start headlining, god save us all in the pit!

Highlights: "Bloodwake," "Drowning as One," "Dying Under a Binary Star," "Born of the Deadtide."
www.crematoriummusic.com
www.prostheticrecords.com

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Taylor Green

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