365 Days of Metal: An Atmosphere of Death

Day 28

Ulcerate - The Destroyers of All

Band Origin: Auckland, New Zealand
Genre: Post Death Metal / Ambient
Label: Willowtip Records
Running Time: 53 minutes
Release Date: January 25, 2011

Best Part: Beneath - it serves as a type of interlude with its emphasis on the slower and heavier aspect of the band. 

Favorite Tracks: Dead Oceans, Cold Becoming, The Destroyers of All, and Beneath

Grade: 4.0

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The Destroyers of All in 20 words or less:

An emphatically dark and heavy collage of ambient music and death metal, which gives you a feeling of impending doom.

The Band:

Ulcerate is a trio playing out of New Zealand who play a brand of metal which in a sense unique. Ulcerate focuses on a sound which is atmospheric, incorporating elements of ambient music into their vicious, fast paced and brutal ensembles which incorporates the key elements of death metal, but strays instrumentally enough to garner attention. With three full-length records, and two extended plays under their belt, they continue to push the level of technicality with each new release. Focusing less on the up front, short and brutal assaults of their earlier releases, Ulcerates most recent material is more drawn out, tying in heavily to their atmospheric approach.

Ulcerate's other releases include: Of Fracture and Failure (2007), and Everything Is Fire (2009)

Jay's Take on The Destroyers of All:

The Destroyers of All is not your typical death metal record - because it's not a pure death metal record. It's not every day that you come across a record that uses the trademarks of the genre and tries to incorporate as much ambiance as Ulcerate does with this album. While the general atmospheric elements of The Destroyers of All are seemingly persistent and uniform across the entire record, with slight tonal shifts on each track, it adds to the cohesion of the record in a way that makes each members role stand out. The atmosphere of each track is dark and looming, creating an overall sense of impending doom, which is aided further by the fact that each track is well over six minutes in length. The other important point is the instrumental focus of the band, while Ulcerate incorporates the blast beats, the growls and the fast paced dissonant guitar work, it also features slow heavy riffs that are a signature of post-metal. The bass is accentuated, adding to the atmosphere of the record, without bleeding over the other instruments, and the drumming is intense, and flows smoothly from powerful blast beats to slow paced jazz style patterns. Upon first listen I was a bit confused, because I was expecting a purely technical death metal album, but the end result is an appreciation of a record with a unique blend of styles and strong execution.

Sample of the Day:



- J