CIRCLE OF DEAD CHILDREN "Exotic Sense Decay"

(Willowtip Records)
Release date: 1999
Running time: 12:16

Review: This grind-death band is original; sophisticated and raw in the same time. The short mini-album we have here is even better than the last one I had the luck to review. It's just truly fine. The song structures are witty, and the music is rawer and more moody. Slightly sounds like late Brutal Truth crossing over Blood. Guitars are somewhat "progressive", in varied and inventive composition work. I also feel that Circle of Dead Children grindcore style stretch to death metal and even raw black metal horizons; but in the end, the result is all very personal and original. They're definitely a great, promising band! So keep an eye on them... Love the stylish cover design, the non-conventional lyrics, the stylish music and everything about it. It's really neat stuff. Too bad it's so short. Released by Willowtip. Don't forget to get the mp3 sound file I just put up... and visit the band's site too!

Tracks: 1)Pigeon vs. Crow 2)A wooden heart never bleeds 3)Wotton 4)Grabbing N 5)Skull of a hermit / Brain of a faery 6)10 fingers (my last ten minutes) 7)Scarecrow trailer park

CIRCLE OF DEAD CHILDREN "Starving the Vultures"

(Willowtip Records)
Release date: 1999

Review: Well. CODC is a brutal death metal band managing to provide original song writing, clever lyrics, good looking cover artwork & booklet design. Must admit this is quite rare! They made great efforts on the sound production too; really clear and powerful. This is not exactly "pure" death metal or grindcore. I would say it's an unconventional but brutal kind of death metal. The way they play it is not common, but still really straightforward and basic. There's a freedom in their concept and lyrics topics reminding me of Inhumate(France). On the edge of grindcore because of the variety of song structures, from very short, around 50 seconds to a 2 or 3 minutes. There's also a few blasts and alternate growls/screams vocals. But the music is definitely more death metal oriented. You can hear that the compositions are carefully worked. The fastness level is very well dosed, but midtempo and slow parts still have a major part. I personally think it seriously lacks of some wild grindcore wildness rawness (should carefully study early Napalm Death works!), but this is only my opinion. This cd contains 14 damn good songs for 24 minutes. And death-grind addicts should certainly just eat this up. Hope you won't mind if I compare them to Cephalic Carnage? I just can say that if you liked "Conforming to abnormality" you might like this cd too.

Tracks: 1)Ursa Major 2)Eldorado 3)Where the hive hangs 4)Sunday's agenda 5)Tranquilizer 6)Four walls and a feeling 7)When silence glorifies pestilence (Faint) 8)Sons of nameless 9)Doom farmer 10)Calm 11)Freethinkers fight song 12)Return to water 13)Heidi's arrow 14)Imprint this stake with your name