antiMusic.com: These Are They - At the Feast of Seven Funerals Review

These Are They - At the Feast of Seven Funerals
by Eric Loranger

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These Are They are a supergroup of sorts from Chicago containing members from Novembers Doom, Loudmouth, and Hurtlocker. On this, their third and best album, the group bursts back from hiatus offering a slab of double-bass blasted death metal that is relentless from start to finish. At the Feast of Seven Funerals is direct and to the point, hardly offering the chance to take a breath between brutal assaults of melody and rhythm.

There's no question that These Are They rock. The grooves that carry riffs like the ones in "Palace of Sin" are strong and command some good head-nodding. The black metal chords that kick off "Penelope Dies" are nice, and they lead into one of the best songs on the album - all blastbeats and controlled chaos. "Buried Neath the Willows" closes the album strongly with melodies that remind the listener of Gojira, rhythmically very tight with the drums. No song overstays its welcome and nothing slows down the pace.

At the Feast of Seven Funerals is a keeper. It's a straightforward death metal album and it's perfect when you're in the right mood. The riffs are often catchy, the drums thunder awesomely behind it all, and the vocals take charge without overshadowing the music. Does this album rewrite the rules or establish something new? Not really, but it's an excellent example of death metal done right. Listeners on a Morbid Angel or Cannibal Corpse kick would not be disappointed.

The album is set for release on November 17th, you can preorder it here.

These Are They - At the Feast of Seven Funerals
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