Published on Nov 10, 2000
Everyone in the death metal community is calling attention to a
band called Opprobrium – mainly because the band changed their name
from Incubus due to the alternative band of the same name. They are
fighting to get the word out that this is the same band, led by
Brazilian-born brothers Francis and Moyses Howard, that has been
grinding out tunes for 14 years.
Yet after listening to
Discerning Forces, the latest disc from Opprobrium (and
first under their new moniker), one has to wonder if the music
lives up to all the hype. The answer? No, it doesn’t… but that
doesn’t necessarily make this album bad.
Oh, I don’t want people to think that
Discerning Forces is a terrible disc. The brothers Howard –
guitarist/vocalist Francis and drummer Moyses – do an admirable job
on this album. Taking into account that Francis handled all guitar
and bass parts for this disc also makes me want to stand up and
cheer for the flexibility these two musicans have. (It should be
noted: bassist Andre Luiz Oliveira was added during the sessions
for this disc, and guitarist Luiz Carlos was a member of the band,
but according to Nuclear Blast’s web site, did not play on this
disc.)
Yet when compared to the plethora of death metal bands out there
on the market, Opprobrium doesn’t do much more to separate
themselves from the rest of the pack. Sure, Francis Howard’s shouts
are more understandable than the traditional growler of this genre.
And it might be narrow-mindedness on my part, but I kept waiting
for Moyses Howard to really let loose on his drum kit and reduce it
to splinters. Alas, that did not happen; the drumming is powerful,
yet controlled. Somehow, I feel a little less control should have
been the order of the day.
Musically,
Discerning Forces also doesn’t do much to pull itself to the
top of the heap. It’s not that tracks such as “Escapism,”
“Unclean,” “Merciless Torture” or “Blood Conflict” are bad –
indeed, they’re not. But these tracks just have a feel to them like
the listener has heard this all before. For a band who’s been doing
this as long as they have, I would have expected a little more from
Opprobrium.
Some people might want to blame the name change for this musical
effect; I doubt that was a factor at all regarding the songwriting.
The only thing that’s changed is where the discs will be positioned
at Best Buy; the brothers Howard kept using the same mold and
forged ahead. I’d be lying if I said I knew what they should have
done differently that would have made
Discerning Forces a more powerful disc. But not tampering
with their musical formula, in retrospect, seems like it was the
correct move.
Discerning Forces is sure to please death metal fans, though
even they may grow a little bored with the content on this disc.
Opprobrium has done a lot of work to call attention to who they
really are. Now, they need to refocus their efforts and figure a
way to let their music speak for them.