Annihilation - Against the Storm

This 35-minute slab of brutal death metal isn’t a bad start for Portugal’s Annihilation. “Against the Storm” is tailor-made for fans of Malevolent Creation, Dying Fetus and the whole US death metal scene as it sees the band specialize in the kind of death attack that is set to create maximum aural damage and is completely devoid of melody or other fancy tricks. This isn’t to say that Annihilation are merely carbon copying albums from the aforementioned acts.
There’re certainly a lot of similarities that are evident on first listens, but “Against the Storm” essentially recaptures the no-frills attitude of those brutal bands, transporting listeners back to a time when death metal was more about its sheer force and less about dizzying arrangements. Thankfully, Annihilation also delivers this kind of stuff with a fair about of conviction with the bestial and indecipherable growls of Sérgio Batista leading the brutal onslaught, while the riffage and double-bass drums are consistent in their full-on aggression and fierce intensity.

On the down side, some of these songs tend to come across as virtually undistinguishable from one another and that factor diminishes the album's impact and prevents it from making a greater impression.

Still, even though Annihilation's first effort isn’t going to revolutionize the style, it is certainly a recommended listen for fans of Malevolent Creation, Dying Fetus and Hate Eternal. (7/10) 

David 

Band info: www.myspace.com/annihilationmetal 

Label info: www.coprorecords.co.uk