Candarian – Trepanación (Idiosyncratic Gore Metal)
Lol at first this band was called “Canadian” and I was like WTF have too many cool and “brutal” terms been used that we have to desperately reach at anything including random country names? Then I realized there was an ‘R’ in it and I can’t read. Now, getting into the actual subject at hand, Costa Rica’s Candarian, actually taking their cues from the Evil Dead franchise, not a country, and with very little prior releases outside of a demo, are yet another one from Central and/or South America to place squarely in the radar. Bands like this often appear like a flash in the pan, but it keeps burning, and eventually the whole room is turned to ash. I realized this rather quickly, because the sound of this one seals you up within a slick, stonewalled chamber of violence, that will leave you gasping for your last bit of air just when it ends. This is thus one of the most fitting covers I’ve ever seen, and that’s you screaming.
Is it vintage? I’ve been sick and tired recently of hearing “old school death metal” by lazy critics placing bands onto shelves like so many nicknacks, and I wouldn’t even torment these guys with such a badge of shame that many an inept critic places squarely on the chest. Rip that shit off! I want to know what I’m getting as a thing in itself! Trepanación gets a lot of shit right and nothing wrong, let’s start there. Songs like “Zombie Miscarriage” set the tone clearly, and make the referencing more idiosyncratic, outside of the occasional sample. One notable feature here is the fine balance arranged with the saturated bass pushing ahead the cutting riffs, enough that both stand alone yet in separation would sound like shit. There’s an exigency to the sound, yet also plenty of moments that draw back, giving you time to barely flinch before the next cut slices deeper. With the gravelly touch of the vocals, clawing their way out of the ground, Candarian bring the gory, horrific style that death metal needs to retain its powerful dominance and avoid being placed under a safe umbrella.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Candarian – Trepanación
Me Saco un Ojo Records, Memento Mori
Cover Art: Grant Hatfield
4.6 / 5
