Humiliation - Battalion

Humiliation are the kind of destructive death metal band who understand what the genre is supposed to be all about. Their sound is apocalyptic and oftentimes terrifying. Their fast parts are grindy, the slow parts doomy, they are everything and nothing, death metal that reflects the human condition. Do they break boundaries? Not especially, but that doesn't stop what they're doing from being so fetch. As you delve into this record, you find yourself in a place that has no love for traitors but only allows the true and the strong to survive, forging a brave new world for metalheads the world over to prosper in.

From its epic intro, The Malayan Emergency, to the raging final track, Restless Fight, Battalion is a lot of fun to listen too. To some degree you could even suggest that this album is merely a particularly brutal thrash metal record. There is a certain crush though that you could never get with thrash. These songs are capable of invoking a sense of desperation and doom that few other modern acts can get at. When you dive into Battalion you are diving into a mosh pit where you know you will be fighting for your life. Yet, there is something oddly reflective about this record, as if somewhere through the d-beats and the blasts you can find something to meditate on, something that will make you a better human being.

Sure, I'm probably over romanticizing what is essentially just another kick ass death metal record, but I think that's kind of the point. Death metal is very much a romantic musical movement and albums like this prove it. Sure it may not be too refined, but that's part of the beauty. Humiliation are creating something that tears the listener down in order to make them stronger and bolder individuals. Deep in some of the longer songs there are moments of truth. Battalion doesn't overstay its welcome, it finishes at the perfect moment, it may not be jaw dropping but it sure is enjoyable and if you want something new and tasty to spin, you might as well spin this.

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https://www.facebook.com/HumiliationMalaysiaDeathMetal