Band:	Observant
Album:	Corrodead
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	2010

01. As Corroded As You
02. Thoughts Realigned
03. Still Nameless
04. Smoke Screen

So my latest review request was from Observant a five-man melodic death metal band hailing from Finland, Finland, Finland - the country where I quite want to be? I've never really jumped on board (bored?) the melo-death bandwagon. To me, melodeath is just the sonic equivalent of those <100 calorie "beers" on the market, a pale comparison to the full experience of their respective big siblings.

So given my general sense of malaise towards the genre, Corrodead was a bit of a pleasant surprise, really.

I've been listening to the four track release for the past several days, found there was something about it I liked for some reason, but just couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. Then, at some point this afternoon while recovering from a post T-Bone food coma and staring groggily at my screen while listening to Corrodead for the umpteenth time, I made the connection. The overall riffing and sound are reminiscent of one of my favorite albums of all time, Carcass' Heartwork .

Okay so there is nothing as jawdropping as the "Death Certificate" or "This Mortal Coil", but there was some cool stuff going on within the riffing that made the tracks an enjoyable listen. "Thoughts Realigned", in particular, has an intro riff which grips the listener. The drums further ratchet up the excitement level by pounding along, but more than willing to insert some fun fills when the space is available.

The vocals are death-y, as one might expect of a melo-death band, but have plenty of that gruff factor, and some nice powerful roars to accent the barks and shouts.

I guess in closing, the band contains individuals who are more than competent at their chosen fields and when brought together within the confines of the genre (that's saying they are not blazing new trails or doing anything particularly original) still manage a spark of excitement that I have found amiss in some of the bigger name MD projects I've checked out.

TLDR version of that last paragraph for those that need things spelled out for 'em - I liked them. More than I like most of the melo-death that seems popular in these parts. Check them out.