(NCS contributor Nathan Ferreira prepared the following introduction to our premiere of a song from the forthcoming third full-length by Kansas City-based Marasmus, which is set for release on March 20th by Transcending Obscurity Records.)
The “old school vs. new school” debate in death metal is a dead horse that’s been flogged repeatedly ever since I’ve been an enthusiast of the genre. On one side you’ve got the classic death metal camp, firmly grounded in some of the old Swedish and Finnish textures and modern bands that recreate their primitive, pioneering nature. On the other side you’ve got the modern extremophiles, lovers of all things technical and slamming. Death metal is around three decades old, and within those 30 or so years are two distinct phases of music, each with their own set of enduring, timeless classics. It’d be near-impossible for me to pick one or the other if I had to.
Fortunately, Marasmus figured out an even more novel solution: why not have both? Continue reading »
