Disincarnate's only album, Dreams of the Carrion Kind, was ostensibly the much anticipated "solo" showcase for journeyman guitarist James Murphy, whose personal legend had been built, almost entirely, upon a series of brief but highly praised cameos with influential bands Obituary, Death, and Cancer. As much as his capabilities as a principal songwriter and bandleader, however, Dreams became a living document of instrumental overindulgence gone ape, having been released near the zenith of the Floridian death metal scene's technical-cerebral maturity. As such, the album virtually requires that listeners approach it with a student's curiosity for inaccessible sounds and sheer technique, because nothing here is what you'd call "immediate" by any stretch of the definition (so be prepared to take notes while you mosh, kids!). Heck, even all these years later, staple Disincarnate offerings such as "Stench of Paradise Burning," "Beyond the Flesh," "Soul Erosion," and "Deadspawn" (several of them co-written by rhythm guitarist Jason Carman) still shock and awe with their Byzantine architecture and constant riff and tempo changes. Collectively, they may not plumb the same mind-numbing depths of complexity as, say, Suffocation, but amid the daunting cascade of slushy-thick riffs, sledgehammer percussion from Tommy Viator, and spiraling harmonic streaks (captured with stunning effect in the classic "Confine of Shadows"), the only real "hooks" on hand are proffered by Murphy's stunningly accomplished, famously melodic solo flights. The guitarist also contributes mostly invisible bass guitar throughout (quite typical for the style), while frontman Bryan Cegon proves himself a perfectly competent but really rather average death metal vocalist -- both in terms of his run-of-the-mill Cookie Monster growl and lyrics that read like some sort of scary but oddly didactic catalog of the dark side. (On a trivia note: My Dying Bride singer Aaron Stainthorpe appears on the album standout "Monarch of the Sleeping Marches.") All of these intellectual demands -- both scripted and musical -- invariably restrict Disincarnate and Dreams of the Carrion Kind to a pretty specific point in time (and an equally specific fan base), but it just so happens to be state-of-the-art death metal in the eyes of most enthusiasts of the genre. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
Recorded at The Windings, North Wales, England. Includes liner notes by Don Kaye, James Murphy, and Monte Conner.
Personnel: Dr. John Walker (vocals, background vocals); Aaron Stainthorpe, Bryan Cegon (vocals); James Murphy (guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar); Alex Marquez, Tommy Viator (drums); Peter Coleman (sampler).
Audio Mixer: Colin Richardson.
Audio Remasterer: James Murphy .
Liner Note Authors: Monte Conner; Joel Stroetzel .
Recording information: Morrisound Studios, Tampa, FL; The Windings, N. Wales, England.
Authors: James Murphy ; Monte Conner; Joel Stroetzel .
Photographers: Joe Giron; James Murphy .
Disincarnate: Bryan Cegon (vocals); James Murphy (acousitc guitar, guitar); Jason Carman (guitar); Tommy Viator (drums).
Additional personnel: Aaron Stainthorpe (vocals); James Murphy (bass); John Walker (background vocals); Pete "Pee Wee" Coleman (samples).
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.47) - "[A] groundbreaking colossus full of inspired, intricate epics..."
Awesome solos but blah songs I remember it, 1994 I saw Disincarnate in a club that could hold no more than 50 people. The stage was tiny and the band members were all on top of each other, heck their gear didn't even fit on the stage. But I remember just wanting to see Mr. Murphy perform his solos and it was a treat. As a keepsake I asked him to sign the CD. Back to the matter at hand. The CD overall is kinda bland and boring. The riffs sometimes do not go anywhere and the production is very flat. The highlight of this cd is the guitar solos. Incredible. I don't have this version of the CD but I have the 3 song demo tape. Alex Marquez on drums is incredible. One of the best session drummers back in the day (Sean Reinert and Steve Flynn also). If Alex was on drums for the CD it would have made the album a whole lot better.
Overall its a decent CD. If you are a guitar fan and are into death metal its a must have, if not - well... Submitted by iMetal (imetalg5@hotmail.com) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Back to some old school death! This is a very good album. Excellent guitar work, and drums are ahead of their time. I had no idea what it was going to sound like, but James Murphy was on guitar, so I knew it had to be good!
This album is in the vein of old school Gorguts mixed with a slight element of doom and some thrash. Fans of the old death metal shall enjoy, especially if you like Obituary's "Cause of Death" album. Buy this classic before it goes out of print again!! Submitted by evansrj99 (San Francisco, CA, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
This CD sucks. The tunes aren't what I expected. I was a huge fan of James Murphy during the Death and Obituary days. I figured James would have the ability to write something that would blow Spiritual Healing and Cause Of Death off the metal map. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed. Not sure where he was taking the "instrumental" at the beginning of the disc. The songwriting leaves a lot to be desired, which is probably why it's better if James just sticks with bands that are already established and have their own songs. Isn't that how we all got to know him in the first place? The production is horrible, ala Suffocation's "Human Waste". Don't waste your money. You can have my copy. Submitted by Neighbor (Oakland, CA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 1 found this helpful.
Quite Possibly the Best Death Metal Release Ever I am a big fan of the early Florida death metal scene. My favorite bands are Death, Obituary, and Morbid Angel. Anyways, I was told about this CD from my guitar teacher. This CD is a great example of technical death metal. It features the brutal technical riffing and melodic solos of guitarist James Murphy. I highly recommend this CD to any fan of the death metal scene. Submitted by wmcgrath23 (Arlington Heights, IL) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful. This review is for a different format.
Awesome solos but blah songs
Back to some old school death!
This CD sucks.
Quite Possibly the Best Death Metal Release Ever
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