With Death Metal, it's always a bit of a thing. It is a genre of metal that continually produces new and good bands, yet it still evolves only to a limited extent. Death Metal was, is, and will always remain Death Metal. It somehow always cooks with the same ingredients, but interestingly, something new and good keeps coming out.
So it is here as well. The young band RESISTANCE OF YIELD from Saarland has released an album called “Towards the Apocalypse” that reminds me of my youth when I first encountered Death Metal and its pull. The music doesn't sound much different. Today, this is called Old School. I really like that.
There is pounding, blasting, pleasantly growled vocals, screaming, and an overall pleasant picture is presented. The melodies are quite refined for a young band, and the lyrics are not just cheap Death phrases but have enough depth that some lines almost show philosophical approaches. This is the case, for example, with “The truth is just another lie.” I appreciate this because it shows that the band has put thought into their work. This creates a good impression, which is not something you necessarily get from all emerging bands today.
Of course, one must say that RESISTANCE OF YIELD is not reinventing the wheel, but as mentioned earlier, it is a good band that has created something very tasty, or in this case, evil and nasty, with the familiar ingredients.
The only thing that makes me shake my head is the somewhat exaggerated booklet artwork. A young band that desperately wants to be more evil than it is, painting everything kitschy with flames. Here and there, there are a few weapons, which are supposed to depict some sort of apocalyptic scenario in which we find ourselves (or will find ourselves someday). With less, they could have achieved more.
Aside from this forgivable flaw, “Towards the Apocalypse” by RESISTANCE OF YIELD is a wickedly good Old School Death Metal record.
