VOLTURYON - Coordinated Mutilation [Review]

Genre: Technical Death Metal

Label: United Guttural Records

Released: February 25th, 2011

Reviewer: Karim Tarek

Here comes one of the most anticipated 2011 albums for me. Under the name of Volturyon, a group of relentless Swedes continues melting Death Metal fans' faces with their quality Technical Death Metal tunes.

Formed in the year 2006, Volturyon is a native Swedish Death Metal act hailing from Borlange. They haven't had any lineup change since then except for having the vocalist Olle Ekman (Pergolos, Hartwig, Död, Lethal Attack, Deals Death) replace his peer, Tobias Netzell (In Mourning, October Tide) right before releasing their debut album "Blood Cure" in 2008.

Formerly known as Contortion, Volturyon have always been one of my top favorite bands, employing a matchless blend of all what is good in Death Metal: speed, aggression, technicality, brutality, groove, melodiousness, solos, AND BLAST BEATS! They are that kind of band that enthralled all my senses and gratified my hunger for pure Death Metal and made me fall in love with it from the first listen.

Volturyon hit this time with the follow-up to their 2008 debut album "Blood Cure" entitled "Coordinated Mutilation". I've been waiting for this one for almost a year now, expecting nothing less than a mind blowing Death Metal effort, a wish that was definitely fulfilled, and surpassed actually on "Coordinated Mutilation". Hats off to Volturyon for not failing me.

"Coordinated Mutilation" doesn't give you much time to get in the mood for it; it starts off with a face-ripping growl by Olle Ekman, who deserves a lot of kudos for his effort on this album performing two kinds of vocals: deep growls and shrieks, backed up with extremely badass riffage and followed up by blast beat lines that are tighter than your skin pores! I feel that I have to mention that the album's opening freaked me out two times; first time was the very first listen and I wasn't at all expecting an opening like that… and BOOM! I felt shocked for a while. Whereas, the second time I was already aware of that hell of a fierce opening, but to my bad luck, I wasn't aware of the fact that I was having the volume set on maximum, so, BOOM again. I was scared shitless actually, hehe.

The arrangements on this album are beyond amazing. I mean, there aren't much albums that are pretty flawless in terms of arrangements as "Coordinated Mutilation"; you can't feel anything other than you're dragged into an endless labyrinth of vintage modern Brutal/Technical Death Metal that I consider very ear-friendly; one riff pulls of the other very smoothly, one vocal verse gives way to the other in professionally exquisite way…etc. That's like the heaven of Death Metal! Perfect transitions, perfect commensuration, perfect performance, perfect songwriting, perfect everything; the album is stark godlike.

What makes "Coordinated Mutilation" a tad bit different from its predecessor is that it witnesses a trend to a gorier, less glossy, and more groovy approach by Volturyon. You can sense the inclination towards a very gory theme on "Coordinated Mutilation" even before you listen to it, simply by giving the cover art, which was made by Lukasz Jaszak (Blood Red Throne, Witchmaster), a look; the sadist chainsaw killer dismembering the body of his victim briefly speaks for it all, telling you that you are about to listen to some Swedish inexorable sick Death Metal. What I also should pay commandment on this album is the brilliant soloing; solos like the ones on "Ravaged" and "Abide Under Eminence" can simply make the day of a Death Metal enthusiast. Thanks to Andreas Olander, Johan Gustafsson, and Christian Netzell, it's so remarkable the congruity and accord between rhythm and lead guitar playing and the drumming. You can easily get several eargasms because of that actually on this album. Remember Deicide's song "Homage For Satan" when the solo was backed up with relentless blast beats? Well, you can get much of these moments on "Coordinated Mutilation". Bassist Stefan Eriksson is doing a great job as well keeping up with the insanity and sick savagery of the foreground music.

I can't actually name a single flaw or downside on "Coordinated Mutilation"; it's like starving for two days and ordering a sandwich, and instead, you get a combo meal, a dessert, a cup of coffee, and a pack of cigarettes. Can't complain about any single issue regarding "Coordinated Mutilation". It exemplifies what a perfect Death Metal record should sound like, according to my standards of course.

So, conclusion is: "Coordinated Mutilation" is one of the very best Technical Death Metal albums of all time, offering each and every thing a Death Metal enthusiast could possibly ask for, and is definitely not the kind of album that you'd listen to a couple of time then throw it to your musical limbo; it's an album that will engrave it's name in the history of Death Metal as one of the finest Technical Death Metal outcomes ever.

Highlights: Ravaged, Bloodsoaked Solution.







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