Can you ever have too much of a good thing?

Well, yes, probably. Especially if you have just purchased or downloaded ‘Death Shall Be Served’, the first full-length album from British black metallers Misanthropic Existence.

Coming on like Deicide on steroids, Misanthropic Existence clearly hate EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY, and ‘Death Shall Be Served’ is a pummelling, non-stop testament to that.

That’s a good thing right?

Well, yeah, but the album runs for over an hour, and it doesn’t let up for a second. It’s a tough listen, but given the attitude that the band display, they probably couldn’t give the slightest fuck what I think of their record.

‘Sacrificial Slaughter’ starts the assault with buzzing riffs and full on blasts, and it’s always amazing that such musicality can come from just 2 people, with the charmingly monikered Cymbal Rapist providing the drum destruction, and Lord Hypocrisy providing everything else.

Impressive guttural and screeching vox, and various tempo changes aside, the often lengthy tracks offer little variety. The Pantera-esque intro of ‘Decadent, Pestilent, Piss-Sodden Sub Race’, frenzied flurries of ‘Rancid Vermin Flesh’ and the nihilistic styling of ‘Misanthropic Existence’ soon descends into more of the same. Not a problem…if the album was shorter…but certainly by ‘War Torn Earth And Blood Soaked Skies’ the initial interest starts to wane, leaving the remaining tracks to carry on regardless.

A shame, as a tighter running time may have made ‘Death Shall Be Served’ utterly killer, as its hateful attitude and punch, is genuinely admirable.

So it seems a little harsh to mark down a band for doing what they do extremely well, but a little like a Triptykon album, the over indulgent nature way work in detriment to the release.

If you like your black metal to be brutal, relentless, and on the death-ly side, Misanthropic Existence deliver that (in abundance). However, if you’re looking for something a bit different, you may just struggle with this.

(5.5/10 Stuart Carroll)

https://www.facebook.com/misanthropicexistenceofficial

https://misanthropicexistence.bandcamp.com/album/death-shall-be-served