German death metal band Drowned has been around since the early 1990s, but did not release their first album until 2014. Following that up with a nearly ten year period of silence, their second album Procul His finally sees the light of day. With sole constant member Tilmann Benninghaus (aka Tlmnn), Drowned play a blend of primarily death metal mixed with some doom metal elements that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Spectral Voice or a Mortiferum album. But how does this all come together? Opener “Star Tower” kicks things off with a satisfying drum fill before the monumental riffs come in. Guitarist Tlmnn is a force to be reckoned with here, as he’s able to propel this album along with excellent passages that at points recall his lengthy tenure with Necros Christos, but a lot more self-contained. Album highlights include back to back cuts “Malachite Mirror” and “Man in Devil in Man”.
Driven by muscular riffs, “Malachite Mirror” is extremely replayable, and is an example of traditional death metal done correctly. “Man in Devil in Man” also works because of the sense of urgency that surrounds it, coupled with some instances of surprising, yet welcome chanted vocals. That being said, the biggest issues permeating this album are the production and lack of memorability. The bass is borderline inaudible, which is a shame considering it could add some extra heft to the songs as a whole. Regarding memorability, all of these songs contain solid riffage, but the majority of them fail to grasp me in ways I would like. “Blue Moth Vault” and “Seed of Bones” are major offenders in this regard, being overly forgettable songs, and that’s a huge detraction on any album in the old school death metal style. Conversely, the musicianship across the board is very good, or at least the parts that are audible are. Vocalist and bassist Greg Circum has a sonorous growl that fits the music, but I would have appreciated to hear his bass playing as well. Overall, Drowned is solid, if unremarkable. Most fans of this will come because of the past pedigree of label Sepulchral Voice Records, but only the most diehard of traditional death metal fans will be spinning it come December.
