Review by Greg on October 16, 2024.

Dekapited is one of those bands that just trigger me – namely, who sound very good on paper, and have something I really wish they'd exploit to better results, yet they always seem to fail at delivering some truly 'excellent' material. If you missed my previous reviews, I complained about how Spanish-speaking thrash bands usually don't really care about getting a decent frontman, the here-examined band being a precious exception. I guess I've now solved that mystery. Actually, all the good vocalists are arguably hidden within Dekapited's lineup. Seriously, guitarist and only founding member left Camilo Pierattini took charge of the mic after their debut Nacidos Del Odio, and he sounds pretty much like his predecessor Ignacio Norambuena. Damn you guys, leave something to your peers as well!

So, they've somehow escaped a vocalist change without much harm. Are they finally going to get rid of the unmemorable stuff on their latest EP Sin Misericordia (2017)?

The first impression isn't the best, honestly. Opener 'Aniquilación Total' spends way too much time building up the intro, to the point I'm almost tired of waiting. Seriously, it's almost two minutes, half of the actual track. On a positive note, they made sure to bring back the Pleasure to Kill drumkit from the debut. The abrupt bass outro recalls Sepultura's 'Stronger Than Hate', also, so they're still on the righteous path. 'Mundo Decadente' however is a way better song, possibly one of their absolute best, and one can forgive its verse riff rehashed from 'Cabezas vacías', which was one of my least favorite ones on the LP. The song more than flirts with extreme sounds in its second half, and there's even a bass mini-solo (newcomer Inti Astudillo really seems to have made a huge impact in this department). The slightly less convincing 'Condenado a morir' does the same, justifying those who were to draw a parallel to fellow countrymen's brilliant death/thrashers Ripper. The title track rounds off the landscape as another decent addition to their repertoire (mostly made of, well, decent songs).

I can't say I understood why they included that outro with 30 seconds of a potential complete track, but whatever, they must have run out of ideas midway. In any case, Sin misericordia is another quarter-hour of what Dekapited has accustomed us to, and while they still don't seem willing to embrace the art of the chorus, I'm more than happy to see they're finding new ways to deliver the goodness. Now I'm really looking forward to a second album.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10