Masachist - Scorned

MASACHIST - Scorned (SELFMADEGOD - CD 2012)

It really took Masachist long time to get new album out. “Death March Fury” was out in 2009, so three years is quite long. But it’s better late, than never, as they say. I don’t know what were reasons for such break between the two releases, but in the meantime Masachist has changed the label – leaving Witching Hour for Selfmadegod – what is quite weird decision for me, as I thought that Witching Hour did a good job, when promoting “Death March Fury”, even releasing it twice (the second edition has some bonus tracks included) and also putting out the vinyl. Maybe I’ll have a chance to ask about that the band, if I decide to interview them. Anyway, I was really waiting for this new album, still feeling pain in my ribs, which Masachist left me with, when beaten me to blood with the sounds from the previous album.

I must say that in the beginning, when I started to listen to “Scorned” I was quite torn between the shock and the utter disappointment. Sorry to say that, but the opening track, “Drilling the Nerves”, is not something I really expected from Masachist. First of all, tempo wise this is like the slowest of all songs from this band, which I have heard so far and while the previous album also had a slower track, “Appearance of the Worm”, it really had some great riffing, while “Drilling the Nerves” actually annoys me a lot. The riffing in it is rubbish; the rhythm is almost like the deathcore, which I don’t like at all and really everything else in this song is just terribly mediocre, even the appearance of the keyboards in the background of one of the fragments doesn’t help this song to be more interesting. In the end I can say that the title of this opener is perfect – it really drilled my nerves he! Skipping that core’ish song, the following track is something what I would expect from Masachist. “The Process of Elimination” is fast and brutal, as it should really be, in the good Suffocation style, so it’s definitely better than the nerve drilling fucked up beginning of “Scorned”. But I still cannot say that “The Process of Elimination” impressed me more than the material from the previous album. Yeah, it is decent (I must say that I really like the guitar lead in the end), but nothing more than that. As overall I again must say that this song is rather mediocre and nothing when compared to the previous CD, but I keep on listening to the “Scorned”, waiting for something of better quality.

“Straight and Narrow Path” is yet again slower… Hmm, that’s something what I not necessarily expected from Masachist – to get so much slower stuff – but it isn’t something, what I would dislike, if only the quality was there. Of the songs, which I just mentioned, “Straight and Narrow Path” is definitely the best one so far, it is really good, but I must say it also surprises with some more untypical parts… Really, Masachist has developed their style, into more challenging one and away from the so typical death metal slaughter. And it does take some listens, before you may get used to “Straight and Narrow Path”. In case such more experimental parts won’t be your thing, then “Manifesto (100% D.M.K.M.)” – which is a manifest for pure death metal – and K.M. stands for Polish KURWA MAĆ – will be something you desire, as it is pure death metal slaughter, played with such a fast tempo that the walls started to crack. Hell yeah, this song is something what could have been on “Death March Fury”. Check out the highly impressive guitar leading part in it, but I really like this track as a whole, with its relentless intensity and furious aggression. “Higher Authority” makes me believe that finally Masachist came back on the right track – to the style they’re best at – plus they also brought back the quality (what would mean that the two worse songs from “Scorned” are the two, which open the album hehe!). Anyway, it is fuckin excellent song and the few, which follow it, are equally great, each bursting with aggression and violence! This is Masachist, which I wanted. From time to time the band will put something more unusual, “Liberation part II” being its most obvious example, but luckily that doesn’t spoil the listening anymore. And “Inner Void” is something what I exceptionally liked. This song is yet again one of those slower ones, it is even slightly groovy and melodic at few parts, but I really like the riffing in it. To be honest, at few moments I felt like it is something similar to the anthem called “God of Emptiness”, only not so epic, but more aggressive. Or even “Hatework”… But I really like this song a lot, it definitely is the best piece of “Scorned”!!!!!!. The riffing in it (like this part, with the keyboards) is fantastic, the whole is just damn heavy as hell… and well, I just let myself scream “innnnerrrr voiddddd” and enjoy this piece.

OK, it’s time to resume everything. In the beginning, when I started to listen to “Scorned” it felt like the album will be a huge disappointment. I still think of the first couple of songs as the worst stuff, which Thrufel has written, but luckily rest of the “Scorned” is way better and at few times it is close to the death metal perfection. The performance of Masachist members is very good, plus the production is also as heavy and energetic as such music demands. And “Inner Void” really turned out to be one of the best death metal tracks, which I have listened to. But I must admit that I liked “Death March Fury” more, the debut was so intense and brutal and so well composed that it probably was just too difficult to make something even better. And “Scorned” is not a better album, but luckily it also has its fine moments, which save it from being a total disaster. If only Masachist made the beginning better, then I would probably give the album something like 80 out of 100, but as it is I give it 70, but it probably should be even 65. Ah, luckily I am in pretty good humour today, so feel my mercy.

Standout tracks: “Manifesto (100% D.M.K.M.)”, “Inner Void”, “Higher Authority”, Straight and Narrow Path”

Final rate: 70/100