Impending Doom - Baptized In Filth

Impending Doom was a band that I didn't care for. Their first two records were just more death metal that I didn't really need in my collection. But There Will Be Violence was different. It made me a fan of Impending Doom. The album was strong and was the band stepping up and out of their comfort zone and putting together a killer record. The more I listened to it, the more it grew on me.

The problem with loving There Will Be Violence so much is it meant my expectations for Baptized In Filth were pretty high. And Baptized In Filth just doesn't do it for me. Sure, the album's heavy and has a lot of the diversity that helped make There Will Be Violence such an improved listened experience.

But Baptized In Filth is missing the warmth that There Will Be Violence had. The record is so over-processed and compressed to death, that the life is stripped right out of the songs. The constant blast beats hit at an almost comical note where it sounds like one is listening to a slot machine emptying it's coins.

Reeve's vocals sound great and the songs are well written and at times extremely interesting. I love My Light Unseen, a ballad that features Ryan Clark from Demon Hunter. But that's the only standout song to me. Even the artwork doesn't click for me.

Modern metal fans will probably like this record a lot more then I did. It's not a bad record but it just doesn't connect with me.