The Munsens - Degradation in the Hyperreal

The Munsens’ Degradation in the Hyperreal finds the band entrenched in the more deliberate school of Entombed inspired death metal. With a flow of steady, low growls accenting the riffs with purpose, at least on the first song. Their drummer is the key as he maintains a very restrained pulse. These guys are smarter songwriters than your average death metal band, as they throw in clever punches rather than sticking to a full-out barrage of double bass to trample you. The riffs provide enough space for things to breathe, though they let themselves run wild when the song builds. There is some stoner/doom influence when they return to a half-time feel, but that is not the lifeblood of the album. 

The second track is a little more compact in its attack. The drummer remains the star, which, when you're a death metal band, being a kick ass drummer is just part of the job requirement; everyone else serves the song in their intended roles, with the vocals being more of a growled accent. You can make out the declaration of 'Sacred Ivory', little other context for the lyric, leaving you to assume it is your typical metal mish-mash of Dungeons & Dragons nonsense. The sludged out lumber to 'Drauga' thumps even when it is built into the kind of hammering double bass expected from death metal.

A darker pulse moves the sonic fury of 'Scaling Ceaușescu's Balcony', building up before allowing the song to linger in the atmosphere for a minute before crunching into the opening chords of 'Supreme Death', which, despite its name, finds them reluctant to lunge into the expectations of death metal. The chords or more strummed, while the vocals are the most metallic aspect. Three and a half minutes, the riffs bend in the way of rock n roll with the metal more of a throbbing undercurrent despite the roar of the vocals. They jam this out as more of a singular groove. Before locking into a metal riff, they jam on that before eventually it explodes into a more furious storm of blastbeats. Despite the intensity, the jamming feels fresher and more interesting. 

If not for the fact that it's almost five minutes, 'Vesper' would feel more like an instrumental interlude and it does contribute a dynamic shift that helps the range of the album. They are in more death 'n' roll mode for 'The Knife', with the Entombed influence returning. It is one of the more straightforward songs of the album, as there are no twists away from its purpose, only allowing you room to breathe while its storm builds. The last track is just an outro of sorts. These guys are skilled at what they do, and at times, it feels like they are blending aspects of Sludge into death metal. Whatever they are doing works well, and should lure in more sonically forward-thinking fans of death metal.

Review by Wil Cifer.