Review by Tammy on April 7, 2002.

Dusk, the time between day and night, when the sun has set, but the sky has not become dark. The Dusk is grey, and boring, exactly like this band. I can find no real originality in the concept of death and resurrection, nor can I find any real upward points to Dusk as a whole. Dusk has taken an approach that mimics just about every other band out there, so not only is it unoriginal work, but it is also badly done unoriginal work.

The music in “Mourning... Resurrection” really varies in its quality, and I find that because of this, the songs do not sound as good as they possibly could with correct execution of the written chords. For example ‘Consigned To Oblivion’ has a 15-second intro consisting of a few simple notes, when out of the blue, the lead singers voice screams as hard guitar pushes the softness out of the way. It completely lacks any transition at all. In the song ‘Mourning Shadow’ however the intro starts slow and soft, and as it progresses instruments are added, and the song slowly develops as the lead singers voice is added in at 1 minute and 10 seconds. On the topic of introductions, I find the intro in the song ‘...Majestic While In Ruin’ does not fit the song, nor the entirety of “Mourning... Resurrection” in anyway. The song starts off with nature sounds, and the calling of birds, but then is taken over by the sound of “fuzzy” guitars. I think that Dusk would have received a better transition if they had faded out the nature sounds in the background of the guitar. The one other query that I have with “Mourning... Resurrection”, is that there is a clicking noise in the background throughout the CD, and I find the noise very distracting, and it really picks at my nerves throughout the CD.

The Vocalist in Dusk doesn’t seem to be very experienced in his genre of vocals. His growls sound more like he’s clearing his throat then the clear growls I know other bands produce. In “Mourning... Resurrection” his growls are elongated, and don’t produce the kind of sound I think he is trying to get across. Because the growls are so long and only incorporate one tone, it makes him seem incredibly repetitive throughout “Mourning... Resurrection”.

Dusk just doesn’t come across as a band that has worked to achieve the best sound they can, and I think there is room for great improvement. Perfecting the use of their instruments, adding more variety in subject and sound, and using different tones in their vocals, is something this band needs to do.

Bottom Line: Dusk needs a lot of work before they can expect to create a ring of fans. They need to prove that they want to be the best, and to do so, they have to show they can put all their effort into a CD.

Categorical Rating Breakdown:

Originality: 0
Musicianship: 4.9
Atmosphere: 3
Production: 5
Overall: 4.3

Rating: 3.4 out of 10

Review by Tammy on April 7, 2002.

Dusk, the time between day and night, when the sun has set, but the sky has not become dark. The Dusk is grey, and boring, exactly like this band. I can find no real originality in the concept of death and resurrection, nor can I find any real upward points to Dusk as a whole. Dusk has taken an approach that mimics just about every other band out there, so not only is it unoriginal work, but it is also badly done unoriginal work.

The music in “Mourning... Resurrection” really varies in its quality, and I find that because of this, the songs do not sound as good as they possibly could with correct execution of the written chords. For example ‘Consigned To Oblivion’ has a 15-second intro consisting of a few simple notes, when out of the blue, the lead singers voice screams as hard guitar pushes the softness out of the way. It completely lacks any transition at all. In the song ‘Mourning Shadow’ however the intro starts slow and soft, and as it progresses instruments are added, and the song slowly develops as the lead singers voice is added in at 1 minute and 10 seconds. On the topic of introductions, I find the intro in the song ‘...Majestic While In Ruin’ does not fit the song, nor the entirety of “Mourning... Resurrection” in anyway. The song starts off with nature sounds, and the calling of birds, but then is taken over by the sound of “fuzzy” guitars. I think that Dusk would have received a better transition if they had faded out the nature sounds in the background of the guitar. The one other query that I have with “Mourning... Resurrection”, is that there is a clicking noise in the background throughout the CD, and I find the noise very distracting, and it really picks at my nerves throughout the CD.

The Vocalist in Dusk doesn’t seem to be very experienced in his genre of vocals. His growls sound more like he’s clearing his throat then the clear growls I know other bands produce. In “Mourning... Resurrection” his growls are elongated, and don’t produce the kind of sound I think he is trying to get across. Because the growls are so long and only incorporate one tone, it makes him seem incredibly repetitive throughout “Mourning... Resurrection”.

Dusk just doesn’t come across as a band that has worked to achieve the best sound they can, and I think there is room for great improvement. Perfecting the use of their instruments, adding more variety in subject and sound, and using different tones in their vocals, is something this band needs to do.

Bottom Line: Dusk needs a lot of work before they can expect to create a ring of fans. They need to prove that they want to be the best, and to do so, they have to show they can put all their effort into a CD.

Categorical Rating Breakdown:

Originality: 0
Musicianship: 4.9
Atmosphere: 3
Production: 5
Overall: 4.3

Rating: 3.4 out of 10

Review by Krys on February 22, 2002.

This is getting ridiculous. How, out of 11 tracks, do I get to review the album based on 3 full-length songs from which one barely hits a 2-minute mark (the remainding 8 fade out after 1 minute)? Well, maybe I wouldn’t be so pissed if the best stuff didn’t actually start after first 3 songs.

Let’s back it up a little. Opener ‘Hatchet To The Head’ opens with such aggression that only Cannibals and a handful of today’s bands can pull off and while I didn’t expect drastic changes I hoped for a little more innovation in song structures after their latest more or less average releases. Surprisingly enough I didn’t have to wait long to change my mind and with ‘Pit Of Zombies’ the Cannibals proved the Corpse is not rotten yet and there are plenty of fresh ideas for crunchy riffs and dynamic rhythms left in them.

In case you forget what these guys are all about, ‘Dormant Bodies Bursting’ kicks in with crushing blast beats and twisted riffs mixed with a slower middle part where George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher growls and screams his balls off to pit-friendly guitar work.

I guess I should end this right here because we don’t review 1 min. samples but what I’ve heard is so thrilling and incomparable to their previous work that I would be committing a sin not giving you at least a glimpse of what’s to come. While it might sound a little strange, Cannibal Corpse feels a little more accessible to the listener and while it’s not melodic death and speed is still the main component, most of the tracks seem to be very well balanced between gore-filled onslaughts and slower groove sections. While ‘Hung and Bled’ must be one of the best songs they’ve ever written, ‘When Death Replaces Life’ marks first Cannibal’s ‘ballad’. That’s of course based on 1-min. samples so I’d better shut up before I say something I might regret later on.

Bottom Line: Definitely the best Cannibal Corpse album in years and while “Gore Obsessed” doesn’t bring anything new, aggression and a will to destroy seemed to find its way back to what looked like slowly degenerating corpse.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 9
Originality: 7
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.2 out of 10