Becerus – Homo Homini Brutus

Becerus

Homo Homini Brutus

by Will Travers at 15 May 2021, 1:55 PM

Sicily, the rolling countryside and vineyards of the small Italian island create a picturesque landscape, some might call it paradise. But on the island’s capital, Palermo, there is a rumbling. Deep and aggressive. As you get closer to its source you can hear some music, the breathless riffs of BECERUS reverberate through the streets. Here today we have their debut full length release “Homo Homini Brutus”. The artwork is what I would describe as fairly stereotypical for the Death Metal style, the imagery fairly gruesome and striking.

Opening the album is “Intro – Foggy Dimension” and it is quite simply a bit of an eerie track, setting the tone I would hope for what is about to come. “Primeval Ignorantia” is a minute and a half of blistering riffs, untiring blast beats and a guttural growl that leave you just wanting more. Little licks accentuate the old school hardcore Death Metal riffs through “Grotesque Parsifal Sucurandus” and “Circular Deficiency”, their addition really just elevates that music from brutal and dense to have that extra edge and it really makes a difference, I think.

The more pronounced and steadier introduction of “Balordicus” really stands it out from the others, the atmosphere that it creates draws you in as a listener and then that atmosphere is shattered when the more traditional stylings smash through my headphones. Can we take a minute to really appreciate the guitar solos throughout?! They are utterly sublime. The pace and overall effect of the tracking is never compromised just to fit it in, as can sometimes be the case. But the overall old school badass Death Metal sound is just constantly there and it is delightful to hear.

What adds to the tempo of the tracks is the actual short running times of each track. The longest track being at a running time of 3 minutes 23 seconds, it just adds a dimension to the music of enthusiasm and passion whilst not compromising on the overall sound and effect. I’d like to take a jump ahead to the final track “Bifolcus”. For me, a final track is a last chance to make a statement, some albums will really go out screaming and dragging their way to make sure you remember them, others simply fade into obscurity… I know which I would prefer to come across. “Bifolcus” may start off with a steady introduction, but don’t let that fool you. The track quickly picks up pace and amid some simply untiring display behind the drums, the same passion, aggression and enthusiasm is present that lays this album down as in my mind.

Overall, this is a solid album, especially for a debut. The overall sound was leaning more to the old school Death Metal stylings and that really made a mark. Any fans of Death or indeed any Extreme Metal subgenre would do well to add this to their library.

Songwriting: 7
Originality: 7
Memorability: 8
Production: 7