DENIAL FIEND – They Rise, released back on October 16, 2007, on Ibex Moon Records, is as perfect a recommendation for your Horror Metal listening pleasure this Halloween season as any. The Death Metal growls, groans, gurgles and screaming are intertwined so fantastically with the sounds of spurting blood and vomiting, on this exceptionally horrific album. Listening to They Rise actually spooks me out more than watching any Exorcist sequel. (The original Exorcist movie was and always will be scary-bad-ass for me).
Denial Fiend, (calling Valrico, Florida their home base), takes the Horror Metal/Death Metal combination to the maximum and they don’t allow a millisecond for you to catch your breath or check your pulse. Maybe you can try to do this between songs, only I don’t recommend it, just kick back and enjoy the bludgeoning drumming, chugging and riffing while the Death Metal grooves pummel you senseless. This veteran “supergroup” of Extreme Horror and Death Metal, should hopefully realize they have made an album that is sure to be a cult favorite for dark ages to come. Metal be thy name, They Rise kicks some serious Horror Metal ass.
Which song on They Rise is my Metal favorite you query? It’s a no brainer… Return To The Tombs Of The Cursed Blind Dead, of course. Just the song title alone is a winner in my Metal book. I actually find myself singing along to this Extreme and groove saturated, Horror Metal gem. The chorus that belts out this song title leaves me in Metal awe, in that it just sounds so damn good to thine ears. Flesheater is no slouch song either. Heavy, fast and brutally Heavy again is Flesheater, what more can I say?
There is a hint of Horror Punk within the framework of Denial Fiend’s Death Metal assault. Gang vocal chanting with a nod to vintage Misfits is common amongst this album, with Flesheater, The Day Of The Undead and They Rise as examples. Blazing guitar leads are abundant, with Cover Me In Blood having plenty of them. The guitar solo that is heard in Cover Me In Blood is the stuff of Old School Death Metal-take it or leave it carnage. Ripped Inside Out is just freaking scary. Metal be thy name. “I Ripped You Inside Out”! Whoa. Plus, as an Extreme bonus, the sounds of gore does rear it’s heinous head within this song too. Whoa again.
The same appalling and nightmarish subject matter that box office Slasher films boast are on They Rise… the only difference being the lack of any macabre and grotesque “visual” effects. Who cares about visual effects anyways, when you can listen to Denial Fiend. In all Metal honesty, I’d rather listen to They Rise than watch a bunch of actors in a Slasher film… (I do get squeamish at gross visual effects sometimes). Listening to Horror Metal and Death Metal is an acquired taste I have developed over many years, I just don’t understand why I still have to watch a Friday The 13th sequel with one eye closed… go figure.
Frankenstein Conquers The World is a whirlwind of Horror Metal… fun. (Gasp), did I just use the word “fun” in reviewing They Rise? I sure did and the lyrics to Frankenstein Conquers The World are to blame. It’s a great song that’s built on a full-scale blitz of Death Metal grooves, resulting in an instantly memorable listen for me. Let The Blood Flow starts off with a chain saw revving up… then the nightmare from hell begins and that’s a Horror/Death Metal compliment. Whoa, this song is F’n heavy, I really don’t know any other way to describe it. I can’t get all academic on reviewing Denial Fiend’s They Rise album… I don’t think this band would want it that way either.
The Day Of The Undead puts the bloody lid on They Rise, with plenty of saluting to the living dead happening. Good stuff. “It’s the day of the undead, it’s the end of everything”… good stuff again. As this song comes to a close, an eerie warning of “the dead coming back to life” and the precautionary measures that should be taken is heard, from a news broadcasters concerned voice… a creepy vibe spills all over the place as I listen to it. An undisputed creepy vibe at that. This song could and should be included on a major motion picture soundtrack for a Living Dead sequel. There, I’ve made my Horror Metal appeal to Hollywood.
In the end, Denial Fiend does accomplish two things: 1. their songs lyrics do send shivers up and down my Metal spine and 2. they play some very damn good Horror/Death Metal with unrelenting and Extreme Heaviness. Extreme, Horror and Death Metal fans should be able to wrap their ears around Denial Fiend and their 2007 album They Rise without a wince. Old School Hardcore and Thrash Metal fans are invited to check out Denial Fiend’s They Rise as well… there’s plenty of speed and heaviness to go around. Happy Halloween… all you ghoulish Metalheads!
DENIAL FIEND as they appeared on They Rise:
Kam Lee – vocals
Terry Butler – bass
Sam Williams – guitar
Curtis Beeson – drums
* For more info on Denial Fiend, just click the link below:
DENIAL FIEND – myspace music
Track Listing For They Rise:
They Rise
Return To The Tombs Of The Cursed Blind Dead
Flesheater
Cover Me In Blood
Ripped Inside Out
L.O.D.
Son Of The Creature From The Black Lagoon
Frankenstein Conquers The World
Let The Blood Flow
Children Shouldn’t Play With Deadthings
The Day Of The Undead
Long Live Denial Fiend and Horror Metal.
Stone.
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