By The Patient – Gehenna (2015)

After a killer 2014 in terms of excellent Metal releases, we open 2015 with By The Patient’s third full-length release “Gehenna”. Featuring nine tracks of expertly crafted Death Metal with high emphasis on melodic and groovy passages, this Danish band perfectly showcases their polished sound that is hard to peg but difficult to ignore.

The album kicks off with the powerful “Ruled By The Death”, a track that features crushing riffs and very tight drumming. The band has some older Scandinavian Metal influences, but with their own twist and a very modern and refined production. As the band pummels through tracks like “Deceiver”, “Gehenna”, and “Web of Beliefs”, we instantly notice their knack for melodic/groovy sections that make their music very addictive. The harsh vocals nicely fit the music as they set the band apart from the traditional growls of the genre.

Delivering a mix of Dissection-meets-Mercenary, songs like “The Sleep” and “Snakes” further show the bands creativity to write engaging tracks that are both memorable and perfect for head banging/moshing. The release turns darker on tracks like “Nat” and “Omnivore”, were the band shows the different and more melodic/atmospheric side to their sound. Our favorite track in this release is the intense “This Barren Earth” and the riffing onslaught presented in this song.

With the very high standards set by the majority of Scandinavian Metal bands, By The Patient does a great job in making their statement with their unique and very well curated sound. The band does a great job in mixing brutality with melody and they deliver nine excellent tracks filled with crushing riffs in the process. If you like riff intensive aggressive albums, you are in luck with “Gehenna”.

Label: Lifeforce Records

Release: January 23rd, 2014

Genre: Death Metal

Country: Denmark