B*stard Grave – Diorama of Human Suffering

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I admit I still have a great deal of difficult in dealing with all the subgenres in Metal music because the difference is very subtle. Life was much easier when Extreme Metal was only Thrash, Death, and Black Metal. Differences among them were anything but slight or subtle. Things got even worse when bands discovered they could mix all Metal features into their music and still be considered Extreme Metal as long as they maintained the gutural vocals, the link among all Extreme Metal bands. Instrumentals velocity is also a differential that could help a little the task of labelling bands, but as a matter of fact, it makes it more difficult.

I said all that because bands as B*stard Grave and their “Diorama of Human Suffering” beat the hell of me with nine unlabelling tracks and all their complexity. “Diorama of Human Suffering” kicks off with the middle tempoed “Life in the Sewers” and its dirty and simple riffing. In the beginning, I said in the beginning because in the end of it, “Life in the Sewers” gets more complex riffed with clear guitar tones. Following tracks “Translucent Visions” and “Drowning in an Ocean of Bile” follow the same pace and one could think that it would be easy to say that “Diorama of Human Suffering” is a monolithical effort. Wrong, flat wrong. Title track  “Diorama of Human Suffering” comes to change it a bit with a more complex playing and some more speed added. And what to say about “Transubstantiation into Feces” that steps hard on the brakes making it almost doomy – or doom if you please. “Inner Carnivore” follows the same doom drive in the beginning, but to make things even harder fro me, it interweavens furious fast riffs in the middle of it. Have you noticed how hard it is? Not to mention the lyrical content that is – huh, let’s say –  a bit abnormal. Well, it’s a path bands as Cannibal Corpse and others have trailed before.

“Diorama of Human Suffering” is an album that puzzled me with its complex changes of mood and speed. I guess it’s much better not to try to understand it and just enjoy.

B*stard Grave “Diorama of Human Suffering” was reelased on August 16th via Pulverised Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Life in the Sewers
  2. Translucent Visions
  3. Drowning in an Ocean of Bile
  4. Diorama of Human Suffering
  5. Transubstantiation into Feces
  6. Inner Carnivore
  7. Madness of Creation
  8. Non-Functioning Pile of Rot
  9. Stench of Infection

Watch “Diorama of Human Suffering” official video here: