Far from being a new kid on the block, Insidious Disease are quite the supergroup. Amongst others, this line-up boasts Shane Embury on bass, Silenoz from Dimmu Borgir on guitar, and journeyman drummer Tony Laureno. A whole decade has passed since their debut album, what with respective day jobs keeping them obviously busy.
An initial casual listen would have you convinced that this standard meat n’ potatoes chug-along-death metal with a HM-2 pedal guitar sound, and the Dan Seagrave painting adorning the cover only adds to the old school atmospherics that this release is giving off. Carrying the Dismember, Bolt Thrower and Obituary style riffage though, a concise production job and intelligent song arrangements give “After Death” an urgent, contemporary vibe.
There’s also a murky, doomy undercurrent permeating these songs, with intriguing tempo changes and reflective melodic passages. Highlights include “Divine Fire”, its sullen melodic lead intro that Paradise Lost would be proud of segueing into a classic Swedish style groove, and “Invisible War” which showcases a hint of the offbeat rhythm chops that Behemoth are famed for.
Overall, Insidious Disease isn’t quite an Avengers style team-up capable of feats stronger than the sum of its parts. However, whilst by no stretch of the imagination is this a revolutionary album, the quality is unmistakable, making “After Death” a thoroughly enjoyable and relevant platter of death metal that could teach the younger generation a trick or two.
(7.5/10 Doogz)
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