Derelict – Versus Entropy
Derelict – Versus Entropy
Self-Released
Release Date: 21/06/2024
Running Time: 35:50
Review by Dark Juan
9/10
I shouldn’t have to speak to you all about respect and misogyny, but yet again another person has been found to be harassing females in the UK scene. Dark Juan does not tolerate this and although I have a sense of humour that can be categorised as actionable in many cases, any form of harassment, violence or even looking at a woman the wrong way gets Dark Juan’s fighting blood up. Let alone the fucking incels who spike drinks. I want to feed them their own testicles. It’s the fucking 21st century yet there are still fucking dickheads who persist in seeing women as sex objects there for their own gratification. It has happened within the Ever Metal family recently and Dark Juan is in the trenches battling. Call me a fucking simp or whatever you like, but I take safeguarding extremely seriously, and I was personally asked to intervene on this occasion. So, I have, and Dark Juan will not rest until the wanker in question is persona non grata in the whole scene.
Gentlemen, it’s fine to look at a lass and think she’s hotter than a Mexican’s lunch. Approach her and be respectful, if she’s in a relationship, walk away. If she says no fucking walk away. No does not mean yes later on. Consent is everything. Consent is sexy, but approaching a woman who is attached already and trying to tempt her out of her relationship in favour of your dubious charms is simply not cricket.
It’s very disappointing when I feel that the scene is making progress and there is always one fucking brain-dead mouth breather who drags it back to the level of the 80’s and cocaine fuelled orgies. Fuck, I wasn’t comfortable with the way women were treated back then as a kid, let alone as a misanthropic, maladjusted adult. Just, use your head brain instead of your dick brain, chaps. For fuck’s sake…
I’m done ranting now. Although that was fairly restrained compared to the first draft of this piece of writing. There are only so many times you can read the word “fuck” in all of its glorious forms. In order to stem the flow of invective that could conceivably land Dark Juan in front of a judge in very short order, I have elected to release the venomous, predatory Platter of Splatter™ from confinement, whip it into submission and sling upon it the first new full-length release from Québécois band Derelict in twelve years.
Although the band originated in Montreal, Canada, this record was recorded collaboratively from diverse locations around Canada and the world (Vancouver – British Columbia, Montreal – Québéc, Sydney – Nova Scotia, and Romainmotier in Switzerland) and I’ll be honest, it’s a bit of a banger on the first listen!
Melding the machine-like precision of Technical Death Metal with Trad Metal guitar lines and a penchant for wandering off into the grooviest of breakdowns and choruses (‘Spectrum’ being the prime exemplar of this on the record, where their Lamb Of God-meets-Necrophagist aesthetic gives the listener a kicking to end all kickings), Derelict bring something fresh and delicious to the Death Metal scene.
I mean Dark Juan is an absolute fucking sucker for Tech Death, as he enjoys having his brains bludgeoned at the same time as marvelling in wonder at the intricacies of the guitar work, and pitying the poor fingers of the bass player as he has to keep up with the fleet-fingered fretboard fiddlers while playing cables instead of strings. This record also marks the first album for Great Old One of R’yleh…. I mean tub thumper Tommy McKinnon. This entity (I hesitate to use the word “man” because, judging by his drumming, he has SEVERAL ARMS TOO MANY) appears to be possessed by the spirits of an entire battery of artillerymen because what he does is seldom drumming and more like raining fiery death upon hated enemies in devastatingly accurate counter-battery fire.
The opening track is the title song, and there’s no fucking about from the band as a staggering wall of noise builds before hyperspeed is instantly attained and the band rip into the flesh of all unsuspecting mammals within a half-mile radius with a combination of Tech Death and Melodic Metal. Even though it is faster than a trip to the lavatory after a vindaloo and more brutal than the ring of fire after said vindaloo dump, the song has a tightly controlled sense of melody and some absolutely jaw-dropping fretboard wankery very much in the realms of the hallowed Muhammed Suiçmez.
The song that comes up next, ‘Infinite Dread’, is just as brutal but really does dial up the guitar work to levels which have caused Dark Juan to want to cut off his hands because he could never hope to ever match this level of proficiency. The vocals of Eric Burnet never fall below the setting marked “utterly unhinged and has no desire to maintain a speaking voice” as he roars and growls like a man with several split personalities, all of whom have severe psychological problems.
Derelict are fucking great then. This album draws in the Groove aspect of the likes of Lamb of God, the technical proficiency of the likes of Protosequence, Fractal Generator and Necrophagist, and the classic melody lines and guitar work of Trad Metal and there’s even little motifs and flourishes of Prog Metal in there… There are a couple of small fills that hark to the likes of Coheed and Cambria on the record. Now, don’t let that last sentence put you off, just in case you don’t like poodle-haired, disturbingly high-pitched singers, because at the start of the fourth song, ‘Workhorse’, the band go all spasmodically jerky and almost jazzy, like a more Metal The Locust. That doesn’t last long though, and they return to crushing the living fuck out of the unsuspecting listener and Burnet gargling acid instead of singing in short order. ‘Attunement’ starts all gently and melodically though. For all of 28 seconds, but it deviates from the blueprint of aggression for aggression’s sake of the rest of the album with a futuristic, highly polished feel, which is based on unusual guitar intonation and phrasing. This song is where the Coheed and Cambria-esque choppiness and counterpoints can be heard.
All in all, then, Dark Juan has enjoyed the fuck out of this record. It is speedy, brutal and yet still melodic, inventive in arrangement (especially ‘Attunement’) and well produced. Every instrument is cleanly and clearly discerned and the cymbals are easily listened to without overpowering anything else.
Time to consult the recently repaired Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System (Le système breveté d’évaluation des éclaboussures de sang Dark Juan pour mes nouveaux amis du Québec et des autres provinces francophones canadiennes. Bon sang, mais vous, fils de pute trop polis, vous faites de la putain de musique brutale!) has no hesitation in awarding Derelict 9/10 for a record that should be banned under the Geneva Convention.
Also, fucking ‘Spectrum’ though. The perfect blend of technical ability and groove. Fucking hell.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Versus Entropy
02. Infinite Dread
03. Terminal
04. Workhorse
05. Attunement
06. Dans Les Dents
07. Spectrum
08. Derelict
09. The Escapist
LINE-UP:
Tommy McKinnon – Drums
Eric Burnet – Vocals, guitars
Max Lussier – Guitars, vocals
Sébastien Pittet – Bass
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dark Juan and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
