Escutcheon - Unexplained Deep Space Phenomenon
Self-financed

Peter B.: From the Eastern parts of the Netherlands comes Escutcheon. A melodic yet brutal Death Metal band. The band was formed in 1996 and released their first demo in 1998. In 2000 there were a few line-up changes in the band, but now they’re back with their self-financed and self-released full-length CD “Unexplained Deep Space Phenomenon”. Escutcheon plays a mixture of Swedish melodic Death Metal in vein of Dissection and old In Flames and a more brutal, ‘old-school’ Death Metal. The Swedish ‘vibe’ dominates, however. The nice melodies in songs like ‘Astral Kingdom Gone’ and ‘Galactic Arms Race’ make you hungry for more. Singer Herman Hofman’s vocals are just the way they should be. Raw and brutal, but understandable deep grunts and screams.

This band knows how to combine brutality, sounding melodic, but also knows how to slow down. Of course, the genre is filled with quality bands and it is hard to become noticed, but this band certainly does a good job showing its face. I don’t know where the band recorded this album, but the mix is pretty good, although I think it could have been a bit more pounding, especially the drums. When you hear the extra song (number 9) on the album, however, I realise that this drum-sound was a well-considered choice. Very nice Dissection cover guys!

People into old At The Gates, Dissection, old In Flames and melodic Death Metal in general should check the band out. There are a few samples to be found on the homepage.

Rating: 78/100

http://www.escutcheon.tk