Review by Alex on June 13, 2019.

At first glance at the artwork on Convictors sophomore record Atrocious Perdition, I was expecting to hear music with a shit ton of triggers and an overly crisp production or a deathcore record. However, after sitting through 31 minutes of it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case. I usually put artwork like that on the suspect list, not that I don’t find admiration in the image or the effort put into creating it, just happens I’ve experienced bands in the past that front a colorful cover with brutal looking depictions, but when the music (‘music’ in the most loose sense) begins to play, a migraine builds. Convictors whom hail from Germany stands clear of that pattern, they prove that they have the proficiency to manufacture a record that not only looks bad ass but sounds the same. Regarding the sound of Convictors’ Atrocious Perdition, one might say they play a form of Swedish death metal in the vein of early Entombed and/or Carnage with a bit less thrash metal accentuation all on a modern-day production. The Entombed and Carnage sound of Atrocious Perdition was enough to gain my attention, plus having seen and heard good words about Convictors’ debut Envoys of Extinction, I was more than delighted to listen to what this latest entry from the German quartet proposed. 

The output on Atrocious Perdition is good especially for being a record that bares resemblance to the Swedish death metal scene of long-gone days, as it's ever so easy to give an impression of being routine when creating music of this sort that thousands of bands have done before. Even though it’s evident there's nothing remotely new or revolutionary transpiring, Atrocious Perdition adheres to a tried and true formula of death metal, I've heard quite the lot wearing their influences proudly like badges, but rarely or never succeed at producing music that embraces the ethos of those idolized. Not the case here, “Withdrawn”, “Fading Epitaph” and “Criteria” all do justice to that era of death metal whether it may/may not have been intentional, while other entries on the record offer support to the end product. Tight musicianship calls for reward and here on Atrocious Perdition, Convictors bring the tunes. The vocals, instrumentation and lyrical construction comes together well, therefore creating an impression of completion even for an album lasting barely over 30 minutes. Existing with the realm of modern Swedish death metal, it’s ideal timing hence HM2 distortion can become fatiguing if not properly managed. Atrocious Perdition is not the most technical but where Convictor’s exceed is within the groove and bridging leads of the allied drumming and riffing while being rode by roughneck throaty growls and grunts. 

Fans of the bands mentioned should find some amount of enjoyment on Atrocious Perdition, again, its nothing new, but has an unfeigned quality within its genre.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 22, 2019.

Unpure's debut was released in 1995 and swam with the black metal movement. So, time was on its side, but we all know the old story of leaders and followers, of trailblazers and imitators, of good and of mediocre songs. The guitar lines of the opener create one of the most miserable melodies in the history of Swedish black metal and gives us a first hint that there could be a significant mismatch between the playtime of 48 minutes and the creative potential. The very fast drums are played without rhyme or reason as well, while the average vocals deliver the usual screaming. Maybe the band should rather concentrate on slow-moving pieces?

The next track, "Ashes with the Wind", gives the answer. No, they should not. Apart from its quite excessive length which stands in contrast to the song's improvable substance, the song begins very lame and boring. It grows due to a pretty malicious guitar line that carries the number through the second half, but in comparison with other genre records from Sweden, the song definitely does not boast with artistic boundlessness. And things don't get significantly better. More or less cheap and ineffective melodies appear again and again on this album. There exist some melancholic, relatively convincing sequences as well, but it is a fact that Unpure never reach the quality of bands such as Marduk, Setherial, Thy Primordial or further compatriots. Hellhammer has obviously been a great influence for the debutants, but their morbidity remains unique. The sometimes very stoically marching compositions of this self-titled work lack atmosphere and intensity. Not to mention any kind of unique selling points. Finally, the dudes neglect the value of catchiness in a very questionable manner. Of course, black metal is no style for conformists, but a certain degree of recognition value is always helpful.

If one is waiting for the train, for dinner or for the end of this album, 48 minutes can be a very long time. So I have more than enough time to focus on the production, but, to be honest, there is nothing special to report. It avoids major deficiencies, it has a dark flair and that's it. Everything wallows in mediocrity and cynical minds might say that this sound matches the quality of the songs perfectly. Sad but true, the longer the album lasts, the more the riffs fail to impress. The fact that the unripe horde repeats its mediocre lines again and again does not make things better, too. The same goes for the absolute absence of surprising twists and turns. But the worst is that great parts of the album lack aggression. Few tracks such as "Journey Inside" with its provocative riff after roughly one minute are just the exceptions that confirm the norm. Too little, too late. Unpure's debut will remain largely ignored.

Rating: 3.7 out of 10