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DEATH TOLL RISING
Infection Legacy

Self-released (2013)
Rating: 7.5/10

Hard to believe that these Canadian death metallers have had to go through the process of two self-released albums in order to draw attention to their talent. Debut record Defecation Suffocation emerged in 2010, despite the fact the five-piece formed in 2002, so it’s been quite a wait for not only the debut, but this second release. Infection Legacy boasts nine tracks, and is far from being a run of the mill death metal record.

Death Toll Rising are very much disciples of the old school death metal sound but do adopt a modern styling by way of Jesse Berube’s intriguing vocals, which melt together guttural growls and raspier overtones.

Musically, the band are extremely aggressive, providing bludgeoning riffs and weighty drums, but they are also able to slow the pace and insert some excellent solos – the product of the twin guitar attack of Tylor Dory and Drew Copland – this being nowhere more evident than on the pummelling title track, which opens the opus. Although for the most part it’s a rollicking tune built around pacey riffing and snarling drums, it also features some interesting melody as it gradually slows, but don’t expect too many let-ups.

‘Judas Cradle’ is a staggering display of deathly complexity showcasing the hard-hitting drum talents of Bryan Newbury. As the album wears on there is clearly a progressive edge to Death Toll Rising, and at times you can expect the unexpected as the quintet supply thrashing structures and jarring assaults, wrapped up in those assorted vocal strains.

Infection Legacy is a marked improvement on the band’s debut, which seemed to rely on a more formulaic approach. Although Infection Legacy is a heavy album, the thrashier elements mean that the band are inclined to lean toward a technical prowess rather than to completely batter the listener, and I’m all for that clinical approach. When one experiences the infectious melody of, say, ‘Malice Incarnate’ you can only admire the cutting edge of it all as the band shift pace from a slower, more melodic introduction to faster segments and then back again to more devious structures.

All the while the drums and guitars are clever and impish as they work in cohesion to back Berube’s snarls and roars. Admittedly, tracks such as ‘Slaughter To Survive’ are slightly more direct (although consistently belligerent), but the razor-sharp approach of ‘Revelation Despair’, with its Slayer-esque ugliness, and closing track ‘Septic Entity’ are symbolic of the band’s true sound, if ever there was one to unearth amidst those devilish riffs, intricate solos and kicking drums.

Death Toll Rising isn’t just here to inject pace because they know that they can opt for slower passages which are as equally potent, and Infection Legacy is a fine example of a thrashing death metal album that delivers in all departments.

Neil Arnold

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