Review: Afflicted Truth – The Seeking of Redemption
Afflicted Truth – The Seeking of Redemption
Afflicted Truth is a one-man death metal project from South Africa that has been around for quite some time. Originally begun by brothers Hilton and Grant Lazenby in 1996, this band has been not so quietly churning out some pummelling noise in the underground for over two decades, and somehow escaped getting much attention until recently with their most recent release The Seeking of Redemption. With an impressive back catalogue of demos, live material and full-length albums behind the project, let’s see how this recent release on Christian Underground Records stacks up.
The Seeking of Redemption Review
Wow. Afflicted Truth does not deal in subtlety, so if you’re usually trepidatious about approaching death metal bands, I’d say run far away from this one. But if you’re like me and love the extreme stuff, then read on. With Afflicted Truth, relentless is the operative word, I think, when it comes to describing The Seeking of Redemption. This is death/grind territory in which we find ourselves here. The solos on here have to be heard to be believed; usually on grind and death/grind records, I don’t expect such hyper-technical, precision displays of sonic violence where actual notes are intended to be heard, but Lazenby’s guitar work here is on another level. This is insane stuff – intense and unrelenting like Broken Flesh, Dying Fetus and Flesh Incineration all combined into one. Though the drums on here are programmed, they don’t sound annoying, tinny, or artificial but actually carry some incredible weight to them. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be inside an anti-aircraft gun going off at full speed, well, here’s the closest equivalent I can think of. If chunkier riffs are your thing, Afflicted Truth has you covered, mimicking deathcore’s chugging style without descending into atypical breakdowns. On The Seeking of Redemption, there’s simply no time for breakdowns, no time for slowing down, no time for anything other than an absolute full assault on the senses. The vocals are guttural in the best way – deep roars that command the tsunami of riffs and blastbeats overwhelming the listener. In terms of the hybrid style of death/grind, this is pure bliss. Final track “Presence of God (Instrumental)” is like a stunning thrash metal solo drawn out over nearly five minutes of brutal grind that makes this album worth the price of admission alone. Seriously, this is mandatory listening.
Themes and Lyrics
Afflicted Truth keeps things simple. As with most grindcore bands, lyrics can often be quite simplistic, and here is no exception. The common theme on this record is of standing strong in one’s faith despite the world and its attendant noise, distractions and temptations. Nothing ever gets too heady or intellectual here, with things kept to the basics: carry your cross, follow the path of repentance, avoid the pitfalls of heresy and error, and follow after Christ. Of course, these are profound concepts, but Afflicted Truth keeps it all to a simple delivery.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, I can’t believe this artist slipped by without catching my attention. Hilton Lazenby obviously knows what he’s doing, and is possessed of some incredible skill. If you’re in the mood for being aurally beaten to a pulp, Afflicted Truth will oblige. It’s not for everybody, but to miss out on the insanity of those guitar solos shrieking and swooping over the machine-gun fire of blastbeats below is something else. You’ll feel like you just ran a marathon by the end of it all, but it’s worth it. This is top-tier stuff. Highly recommended.
For Fans Of
- Broken Flesh
- Encryptor
- Cattle Decapitation
- Flesh Incineration
- Dying Fetus
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