Anatomia PRT: Decayed

 

SWITCH TO POLISH

There are days, when I don't feel like writing at all, until one day, and poof, just like that - I feel inspired to write few words about something I listened to recently. That's the occasion here, my fellows. 

This Portuegese gem, is widely unknown to the masses, including those, who claim to be knowledgeable about Black Metal, as they are too busy to discuss popular things, because it's oh so fashionable. In many ways, I can see why this band is not a "hot topic". Decayed presents a rather primitive, obscure, raw, and a visceral experience, far from the atmospheric fancy, or some experimental Post-Metal bullshit.

To listen any album by Decayed is like to be invited to a home by a very hospitable host, receive some red wine, sit back and relax next to the fireplace on the moody autumn (like currently), or even winter. Their style is hardly unique, but there is one catch. It's genuine.

It's obvious from the first note that this guy grew up on Motorhead, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Venom, but also Warfare, Atomkraft, Tank, Black Sabbath, and all these little forgotten and dismissed bands by the youth of today. Sure, nobody has balls to say that they dislike Motorhead or Celtic Frost, but at the same time, they will hardly recognize a particular song, or album by these legends.

I myself wasn't really sure if I wanted to get into them, as their discography is rather vast, which I admit, is a turn-off for me, especially that I have almost 3k CDs, and it doesn't seem that I will be slowing down any soon... Unfortunately... But at the same time, I'm really a sucker for a comfy, homemade production music made for fun and simple enjoyment. Mind you, homemade doesn't mean that it's chaotic, or unlistenable. It just means that it's neither polished, nor designed for mass consumption. Nope, this is only for dedicated fans.

I am rambling a little, but what really won me over was how generous the band is for each of their numerous releases. You see, they always fill the album to the limit of the runtime, usually adding bonus tracks gallore, which sometimes are numerous covers, other times, some experimental stuff - "Resurrectiónem Mortuórum", beside trying some acoustic approach to melodies, added some soundbytes, out of some basement collage art. "Nockthurnaal" has trumpets serving as an intro between the section, and with some hilarious radio-tier joke outro.

For "The Beast Has Risen" the band prepared something genuinely special, the second half of the album has some lengthy songs, with each next song being longer than the previous one. Peculiarly enough, 7th song having 7:07 runtime, 8th being 8:08, and 9th having 9:09, leading to a really well-made, cool Motorhead cover, and followed by a 23-minute ambient guitar piece, and an outro of closing the gates of hell (after being opened in track 7). Maybe it's a cheap gimmick for some people, but I really appreciate such little touches. Like I said, the band has fun, and they share it with the audience, making each album a special and unique experience.

Decayed will never win any awards for being innovative, nor being forward-thinking, but they do deserve a special prize for creativity with the format, and treating music like some narrative, an adventure for those, who are not in a rush to discover the pieces, and taking time in soaking up every little second.

I guess that such music has more appeal for people above 30 or maybe even 40-year olds, but whatever. I know for sure that I will never doubt Decayed ever again. Their albums just remind me why I am such a melomaniac.

Like in that old joke - what separates a music lover from a normal person? That when a woman sings while having a shower, the music lover will put an ear to the keyhole, rather than the eye. And that's literally me.