Fatalist - The Depths of Inhumanity   

Loss and the addition of new numbers make for a strong debut

Aside from signing up veteran acts such as Asphyx, Avulsed and Acheron, rising U.S. label Ibex Moon Records have also been filling up their roster with a host of new faces, with one of their more recent signings being Fatalist.

Hailing from California (Ventura based), Fatalist initially started out as a Swedish death metal cover band called Stockholm Syndrome, before trying their hand at writing their own songs. It wasn’t long before the band had enough material to put together a release, with their seven track Loss demo emerging in late 2007.

After signing to Ibex Moon Records in early 2008, the label were keen to introduce the band (who at the time comprised of vocalists/guitarists Neil Burkdoll and Wes Caley, bassist Art Hayes and drummer Tyler Castro) to listeners worldwide as soon as possible. So the decision to re-release the band’s original demo in remastered/repacked form was a logical move. But rather than simply replicate what has already been on the scene for some time now, the band managed to get into the studio and put together four new tracks, all of which now make up their debut full-length effort The Depths of Inhumanity.

As you would expect from a band that initially started out as a cover act knocking out death metal classics from the greats, Fatalist sound very reminiscent of Sweden’s death metal greats. But while there’s no denying that bands such as Entombed and Dismember play a large part in forming Fatalist's sound, there’s also traces of Napalm Death and Obituary that can be detected as an influence, which gives them a bit of a different feel to some other acts that make up Ibex Moon Records’ roster.

The album starts out with the group’s four new contributions. The opener Frozen Epitaph pretty much gives listeners an idea of what to expect from Fatalist, with the band’s sound clearly aimed at mimicking the under-produced/raw sound that established the early death metal sound all those years ago. Burkdoll’s growls are quite solid for the most part, while the buzzsaw guitar riffs and overall sound is quite catchy and enjoyable.

The huge groove within Morbid Derangement is a definite stand out, while the relentless onslaught of Contamination is another noteworthy track.

In terms of highlights on the older material (Loss), the fast paced Death Will Remain, Life Deploration, the intense title track The Depths of Inhumanity and the melodic closing effort Intro/Rivers of Blood are the best the band have to offer.

Fatalist offers very little in the way of anything new sounding or innovative given that bands such as Entombed and Dismember have been there, and done it all before. But in its own way, The Depths of Inhumanity is an enjoyable listen down memory lane, and the band’s debut is a worthy introduction of their old school death metal sound to newcomers.

(Ibex Moon Records)