15 Of The Greatest One-Album Wonders In Metal!
One and done!
disEMBOWELMENT – Transcendence Into The Peripheral (1993) [Australia]
Genre: Death / Doom
Australia’s disEMBOWELMENT may have released just one album but what a suffocatingly crushing death/doom masterclass that one album was!
Transcendence Into The Peripheral took the bleak slothful riffing of classic doom and immersed it in the sickly putrid filth of death metal; the combination proving difficult to swallow with its bleak and sorrowful bitter aftertaste.
“The Tree of Life and Death” remains one of the quintessential death/doom anthems; oppressive, dissonant, unnerving and back-breakingly heavy in the truest sense of the word. The clatter of “Your Prophetic Throne Of Irony” then added some truly bleak black metal into the industrialised machine – akin to the raw avant-garde nature of Beherit‘s seminal Drawing Down The Moon – adding further layers to disEmbowelment’s oppressive sound.
Predating funeral doom, Transcendence Into The Peripheral took a groundbreaking approach to extreme music, undoubtedly influenced by the experimentation of Celtic Frost – particularly on the off-kilter, female spoken word of “Nightside Of Eden” – and slowed down to a lumbering deathly crawl.
Disincarnate – Dreams Of The Carrion Kind (1993) [USA]
Genre: Death Metal
After honing his considerable chops with the cream of death and thrash metal, Disincarnate and Dreams Of The Carrion Kind was James Murphy’s chance to prove his status as a death metal guitarist capable of steering his own ship, instead of setting sail with whoever would offer him safe passage.
As it turned out, he was more than ready.
From the exquisite death/doom of “In Sufferance” and the Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride) guesting “Monarch Of The Sleeping Marches”, to the pummeling workout’s of “Deadspawn” and “Stench Of Paradise Burning”, the sheer audacity and technical verve on display remains revelatory….but never at the expense of an ingenious hook to keep the neck muscles – as well as the brain – fully engaged.
Floodgate – Penalty (1996) [USA]
Penalty, the one and only album from Louisiana mob Floodgate, led by Exhorder and Trouble frontman Kyle Thomas is an unequivocal classic and a 90’s highlight highly deserving of as much praise as we can throw at it!
As far removed from the pioneering groove thrash of Exhorder as you can get, Penalty was a terminally unfashionable sludgy, southern metal extravaganza! Unencumbered by a desire to please modern metal fans, Floodgate simply created the music they needed to play – the hallmark of any great artist – and unsurprisingly this one-off monster of kick-ass rock is now considered a cult classic.
Kyle Thomas’ ridiculously versatile vocal performance – that still found space to unleash that rib-cracking roar from his Exhorder days – is still a revelation and an obviously huge inspiration on the direction the likes of Down, Crowbar and Corrosion Of Conformity found themselves heading over the preceding years.
Gammacide – Victims Of Science (1989) [USA]
Gammacide‘s one and only album, Victims Of Science, may not be well known (except to the thrash die-hards, of course) but it’s a late 80’s release far more deserving of simply also ran status!
Fans of Vio-lence and Exodus will appreciate Gammacide’s technically skilled but aggressively direct approach and their no nonsense attitude elevates Victims Of Science to a level which far surpasses the majority of their peers.
Built around that age-old thrash chestnut of nuclear war and falling victim to mankind’s technological ‘progress’, Gammacide were the thrash equivalent of armageddon and their ripping, snarling vocals, high-speed riffs, outstanding solos and whip-crack tempos were refreshingly direct and as remorseless as a nuclear winter.
Mankind has always been doomed…..and Gammacide’s Victims Of Science will always provide the soundtrack!
God Macabre – The Winterlong… (1993) [Sweden]
Genre: Death Metal
God Macabre’s only album arrived fully formed in 1993, and while they never managed to record a follow-up, it is testament to the quality of this obscure gem that we’re still talking about it all these years later.
God Macabre’s reign may have been short but it was decidedly sweet and The Winterlong’s occult horror atmosphere – enriched with a diversity often found wanting in death metal – means this intricate, varied, complex and bold album retains its allure.
Connoisseurs of death metal know exactly how good this one of a kind album really is….while a welcome surprise awaits the uninitiated!
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