Crematory - Destination (ROAR!)

In many ways, Crematory‘s latest album – Destination, their seventeenth full-lengther by my calculations – sounds like it was constructed either by committee or by a computer. However in the world that Crematory inhabit I don’t think that statement is necessarily a criticism, as the band are one of those acts that you have always been able to set your clock by. Their reliability is a comfort, and the feel overall given off by this new record – that of a well-oiled machine idling nicely – is actually very comforting indeed.

At times the band do spread their net a bit wider – the pounding EBM-tinged Welt Aus Glas stands out in particular as a variation from the norm – and their cover of the Type O Negative barnstormer My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend shows there’s a little humour lurking in the shadows too; But for the most part this is Crematory doing what Crematory does best, melding strands of death, gothic and industrial into easily digestible gobbets of darkness.

Standout track After Isolation shows the band off at their best, bringing every aspect of their heritage together into sharp focus in one classy six minute dark metal masterclass. Here the band display their total grasp of the concepts of light and shade in music, allowing guitars to chug in and out of shimmering keys and superb drumming, the whole crowned by Felix Stass‘ impassioned vocal performance and a glorious piece of lead work by guitarist Rolf Munkes. It’s music that, whilst calculatedly set to appeal to longterm fans with it’s ‘quitessential’ feel also carries more than enough class and appeal to snare unsuspecting new listeners – and snare it will, of that I’m sure.

So, whilst Crematory fail to break any new ground on Destination, they revisit many of their old hunting grounds with such panache that it’s hard to find fault with anything they offer up here, and to my mind it’s a success from start to finish because of that. Consistency has rarely sounded so good!