(Death Metal) Edema - Default - 2009, FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Default is Edema's debut full length. Expect a lot of technical death metal here, but done in a sense that it doesn't try to see how many tempo changes can fit in five seconds to give audiences a headache. This isn't math music... just good death metal. Default is full of crunching chords and different breakdowns with a musical structure about as schizophrenic as a Deathspell Omega album (the more recent ones at least). There's always a very quiet moment in each track where the guitars try this creepy, progressive line where the bass is quite audible and builds to a crescendo before the chords and growled come roaring back into the picture. The drumming is simple, technical rhythmic tapping that Dying Fetus fans will probably dig quite a bit. It isn't anything amazing, but the simplicity of the style suits the pace of the album. After all, Default is meant to a smooth ride with just a few bumps.
That being said, the music is still brutal. Tracks like "Generator" have some very fast drumming and ripping hooks that make the breather where everything goes quiet, save for the guitars, all the more appreciated. Other tracks like "Purchasing Your Own Illness" are heavier with no progressive moments and just a good, mid paced death metal-fashion beat down. "My Sweetest Whore" is one of the fastest tracks on the album, turning things up a notch with the buzz saw tempos mixed with a few blinding solos as compared to how the music usually chugs along in unison on the other tracks. Vocally, the standard, deathcore growl is the staple presence, but there are a few moments during the progressive stringings that some spoken, quietly sung vocals come along, enhancing the eerie quiet.
There is one problem with Default, though. A lot of the tempo changes, quiet moments, and musical style of the album are all in the same place. On about seventy percent of the album, if one is to fast forward to the last 3/4 of the song, you will here the quiet moments, and then almost the exact same lead-in to the heavier stuff. This somewhat ruins the whole 'technical' idea that Edema tries to create by making the album monotonous. In fact, the group probably could have just melded all the tracks into one long medley; THAT would have been very interesting. Unfortunately, they opt to create something that is interesting at first, but can eventually become stale. "Crawling Unreason" and "Purchasing Your Own Illness" try to mix things up with the song structure by changing the typical music placements, or adding samples before the songs, but even then the chord progressions and limited riffs continue to maintain the monotony. It just doesn't engage the listener as much as some would like.
That being said, for those who enjoy mid paced technical deathcore metal in the vein of Moltov Solution, As Your Down, and Oceano will find Edema right at home in their earhole. The music is well performed; it just needs a little more variation to keep listeners interested before the music ADD kicks in. Keep rocking!
(c) twan666 /metal-archives.com/

Marcello "Mavce" Lega - Guitars & Vocals
Marco "Big" Benedetti - Guitars
Riccardo "Mendosa" Lovotti - Drums
Michele "Miki" Cavalli - Bass