Review: Grave Decay - From Dust to Dust
Band: Grave Decay
Album: From Dust to Dust
Genre: Symphonic Death Metal
Release Date: October, 2018
Album Length: 52 Minutes
Record Label: Independent
Track list:
- Re-inception 01:40
- State Of Decay 05:35
- Cognitive Dissonance 05:06
- Bloodbound 03:55
- Grave Mystery 06:33
- Memories 05:48
- Boots On The Ground 04:14
- Silent Suffering (Carolina) 05:46
- Time 04:46
- Once Bitten, Twice Shy 08:31
Grave Decay is a Symphonic Death Metal band from the Netherlands currently consisting of Roger Koedoot and Maurice Lefeu. “From Dust to Dust” is the bands’ debut album and was released in October of 2018.
This album really stands out right from the onset, with pulse-pounding drums and symphonic elements that really got me excited to listen to “From Dust to Dust.”
Sound and Mixing: Throughout this album, the mixing is extremely crisp. Guitars shine through, and these are definitely the stars of the show next to the lyricism. Shredding solos, chunky bridges, and even moments of beautiful strumming are definitely the highlights of this album. The drums are fast and heavy and keep the songs chugging along at a steady pace, which results in music that will take any listener to a completely different place. The deep gutturals that sound fantastic, also shine through when teamed up with everything else.
Lyrics: One aspect of Grave Decays’ “From Dust to Dust” that really makes the album great is the fact that every song has a different message. Ranging from words of warning and calls to come to Christ, there are also themes of pacificism with the anti-war anthem (and my personal favorite off the album) “Boots on The Ground.” The song “Grave Mystery” even deals with the existential question of “is there a creator of the Earth or is this all just one big accident caused by nature?” with the former being what the song alludes to. This song is beautifully written, acknowledging all of the aspects of Earth and the many creations in it and that surround it. From the animals, trees, and humans that inhabit the Earth, to the Sun, Moon, and stars that surround us in the universe. The song “Silent Suffering (Carolina)” deals with the loss of a loved one, and it was specifically written for one of the members’ mothers who had passed away in 2018. Anyone that has experienced the deep sense of sorrow that comes with the passing of a loved one can relate to the words and theme of this track. This only scratches the surface of what Grave Decay cover on “From Dust to Dust.”
Favorites: Personally, “Boots on The Ground” is my number one from this album. It tackles the hard truths about war. From being in battle and taking someone else’s life to preserve your own or even the men and women that are controlling the drones that bomb places, before going home to their families. This song by no means takes any sides when it comes to the topic of war, with the song ending with a call to come to God. Number two for me has to be “Grave Mystery.” This song is beautiful and so full of imagery. I would even go as far as to say that it is a happy song. Taking in the creation that is Earth and just being appreciative of this great gift that we have been given really sheds new light on this album and should be explored more in the heavy metal scene as a whole. “Time” is a clever track. The band said that this song deals with the passing of time and how we spend it, even going as far as to talk about it literally. They played with the idea of 60 seconds and 60 minutes as well, even going as far as to make the song have a tempo of 60 beats per minute. There will be a link at the end of this review with the bands website so that people can take a deeper dive into the meanings and lyrics of each of these songs. Now for my least favorite on the album. “Silent Suffering (Carolina)” is definitely one of the most heartfelt songs on the album. As someone who has lost people that were close to me in the past, I identified with the emotions behind this song. But we are also reminded that there are hope and beauty in loss with the lyric “we will meet again.”
Closing Thoughts and Rating: “From Dust to Dust” excels in multiple areas, but a massive area is in the messages that it aims to bring to the listeners. From hope and love to calls to end the war and stop the hypocrisy, each song on this album is phenomenal.
Rating: 9/10
Reason: Each song is well-written and well-worded. The emotions and messages are conveyed in non-pretentious ways and it is clear that Grave Decay just loves to write heavy music.
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