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March 29, 2024

Dichotic "Collapse Into Despair" Reviews

Dichotic - Collapse Into Despair
Discorporate Music (1999)
9/10

"Okay... my ass has been kicked. Holy mother from hell, is this powerful stuff from Eastern Canada (Halifax, Nova Scotia, to be exact). No remorse and no regret is etched in the minds of all those taking part of the musical ways of impressive outfit Dichotic. Slamming down a driving force equal to that of a tornado, Dichotic lash out at the listener with fierce death metal anguish, rallying behind killer riffing and a vocal style that could peel paint off a wall.

Are they this good? Yes. Many others I know are praising the ways of this truly talented band and it's definitely worthy of going ape-shit over. The band just totally delivers with thunderous numbers like "Solely on Opposites", "Heed to Instincts" and "Love Stained Splatter". Saviors of metal in Canada? Who knows... but at least they're making their mark. Death metal fans who itch for sheer power and a touch of variety, look no further. Canadian bred, yet death metal led. Stunning record. Others should have their asses kicked by Dichotic. What are you waiting for?"

- Adrian Bromley, Chronicles Of Chaos


Dichotic - Collapse Into Despair
Discorporate Music (1998)
7/10

"Frantic death metal from "the most homicidal, suicidal, genocidal band in the world." Lead growler Raland Kinley sounds as pissed off as Satan would be after losing a soul to the Angels. Some of the experimental guitar work in 'God Complex' and 'Touching The Timeless' is a little too Primus-like for the ferocious nature of this band. Dichotic's unyielding force is unfortunately watered down in the mix. You get the feeling that they are nastier, angrier and much better live."

- Aaron Small, Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, issue #29 (April 1999)


The Crass Menagerie (vol. 71) email 'zine votes Dichotic's new disc Collapse Into Despair as one of "the 10 best Metal albums of 1998".

"This is the kind of music that sends most people screaming and crying to their mommies. Dichotic are as apt to disembowel you with their music as entertain you. Pure, pile driving, grind-you-to-dust, rip-off-your-flesh death metal.

They have managed to combine all kinds of death influences into one extremely tight package. The how-low-can-you-go breed of ultra death is reflected in the vocals - pure sickness. Brutal and technical death ala the more prominent American bands check in with the grinding guitar work and the hyper kinetic pace. The melodic death of Europe's finest is represented by the intelligent and attention grabbing arrangements.

Even the progressive death elements of the CYNIC breed are encompassed in some really fascinating bass effects and intricate arrangements. Being a Canadian band, the Canadian deathinfluence of kicking butt by being better than most is here.

One of my favorite aspects of Collapse Into Despair is the fact that each time I have put it on, I get a different vibe from the album. One might think with so much going on in the music that it might lose focus or get sloppy. Not at all. The production is solid but I can't even imagine the wall of sound these guys could lay down if graced with a huge recording allowance. It boggles the mind."

- Jed Branin, The Crass Menagerie


Dichotic - Collapse Into Despair
Discorporate Music (1998)
Five Inverted Crosses!!!

"I love starting reviews out like this. Dichotic knows what the fuck is going on. This disk rules from start to finish. Musicianship and vocals are top notch. Musical arrangements also get the S.O.S. Stamp Of Approval. Disk contains 7 songs of musical mayhem that absolutely kick you in the head and shove a boot up your ass. Production is very good and I would say Dichotic has the whole nine yards. If you don't like this disk then S.O.S. KNOWS you attend church. Check it out."

- Son of Satan, Khaos A.D.


"Finally this month, Canadian death metal band Dichotic check in with their release called Collapse Into Despair. It's in my record that I don't like death metal. Yet, every time I proclaim "I hate death metal" a band like Jungle Rot, Detachment or Dichotic come around and prove the genre can actually be a forum for talented musicians. Dichotic prove so with interesting song structures and quick interplay between the instruments. Their syncopation is sharp and my interest does not wander while listening to it. Rating: Excellent."

- Paul Hanson, The Daily Vault


"This is death metal. No bells and whistles about it. This album is crushing, brutal death metal. Vocals are growled to the point of incomprehensibility, the drums are pounded at a relentless pace, the guitars are crushing and heavily distorted, and the bass assaults you with waves of sheer intensity.

Welcome to the world of Dichotic. This Halifax quintet has been gathering fans at all of their shows, and this debut album shows why. The second track on the album, "God Complex", displays all that is good about death metal. Intensity beyond any other form of music, beautifully crafted classically influenced guitar solos, and a wonderfully rich growl from frontman Raland Kinley.

This album shows that Canadian death metal is far from dead. The northern hyperblast is still alive and well. It has merely changed hands."

- Chris Black Tuesday: A Dark New World


Dichotic - Collapse Into Despair
Discorporate Music (1998)
4.5/5.0

"This is on the same label as Civil Carnage, and I do believe they're from Canada too. I think I like this more than Civil Carnage, but let me tell you. Discorporate Music has released some amazing stuff with these two bands being held fully accountable. This one doesn't sound like Gorguts as much as Civil Carnage did, but the music has more of a black metal-yet-noise feel to it. I think I say noise because it has mad feedback. Sick vocals. Deep as all hell. Definitely some of the deepest vocals I've heard in a while. This guy is nuts. Mix that with the death metal aspects of this album, and you have all out metal war. Go for it."

- Rob Kossayian, LoudNet


Dichotic - Collapse Into Despair
Discorporate Music (1998)
48/50

"First release of the new record label has managed glory. The debut album by Canadians Dichotic has presented music in the best Canadian brutal traditions of the past few years: twisting grinding death metal. Do you know what this means? I'm explaining. Let's take Cryptopsy for a basis - courageous experiments with rhythms, plus wide use non-standard (for other branches of grindcore/death metal) decisions inherent only in Canadian grind, conducted by Cryptopsy: acoustics in "God Complex", bass-twist a la Cynic in "Heed to Instincts". In addition to all this, there are interesting drums breaks (it reminds me Meatlocker Seven and even Pyrexia) and brutally buzzing tools (the sound in vein of the last works by Brutal Truth). The vocalist must be spoken of separately. His growl differs because of its shaking ferocity: His voice is not worse, than recognized splatter/gore growlers frightening a microphone in Dying Fetus, Oppressor, Cannibal Corpse, Kataklysm, Internal Bleeding. The music of Dichotic is of great quality and perspective, so acquaintance with this band for brutal fans I consider necessary. With the elite quality of the music, furious vocals, quality recording, quality CD appearance, and presence of sense of humor ("the most genocidal band in the world" is a nice joke!), why this album is absent from your collection? You can correct this annoying mistake buying Collapse Into Despair."

- Denis (translated by Dmitry), The Surly Sullen Bell e-zine


"From Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) comes Dichotic with a 7 song cd, 33:58 in length, entitled Collapse Into Despair. They prove themselves to be one of the best extreme death metal bands I have heard in a long while. Suffocation's Effigy of the Forgotten and Breeding the Spawn are obviously a big influence on the vocals and overall playing throughout the entire album.

The lyrics stand above those of the many Suffocation clones out there. Being a fan of Suffocation myself, this is the first thing I noticed. Dichotic provides non-stop brutality fit for the EVIL GODS. This band will receive great attention in the future. I suggest that you discover these guys now. You will not regret it. Pick this album up.

Collapse Into Despair is a death metal treat. The influences are varied. I can even hear a touch of jazz at the mid-point of the song "God Complex". Popping out of the mix is an interesting bass line which sounds like the Lost in Space theme breaks up the song's all-out brutality.

Incantation-styled brutality is quite evident in "God Complex". The riffing is slow, yet the timing is perfect, and the picking patterns are intricate. The guitarists are the most impressive. These guys definitely did their homework. With random time changes every five seconds, Dichotic, if I was not told otherwise, could be mistaken for great NY death metal, yet these guys are from Canada. How odd.

Dichotic are a hella of a lot heavier. No shittin'!!! The progressive riffing is all over the fucking place. The music consists of non-stop fucking brutal drumming and sick, vomit-style but understandable Frank Mullen-like vocals.

These guys are definitely worth checking out. They churn out "thoughtfully-scribed" death metal which is unbelievabily unique.

Aggression and frantic madness -- this album has it all.

The production is top-notch. Every instrument can be heard very clearly which is not usually the case with 666% of the bands in this genre. Dichotic definitely deserve to have great things to happen for them. They are bound to achieve much underground status and will do much to further define the Canadian metal scene."

- Noel (Oberon), Luciferian Feast Promotions


"Here we have more death metal done the Canadian way with DICHOTIC's debut CD release, Collapse Into Despair. Even though it's short, this is still tough to listen to as I'm not much into technical death metal. This stuff sounds super-technical with tons of time changes and wacked drumming. I suppose if a comparison was called for, it'd be what the new CRYPTOPSY album would be like without blast. Things are mostly fast-paced on this CD and at least they keep it short so attention doesn't wander too much. The first song "Solely on Opposites" is easily my favorite. "Out of Spite" and "Love Stained Splatter" are both good as well as having the added pleasure of some weird effects, perhaps done by the bass player (?), though subtle, they catch the ear.

I don't really care much about packaging with albums, but the layout and all is really nice for an independent band. I'm not sure if Discorporate Music distributes this, but Lost in the Fog Records does, so if you're interested, either get in touch with the band or with Lost in the Fog. Technical death nuts will love this album."

- goden, Eternal Frost Web 'zine


Dichotic - Collapse Into Despair
Discorporate Music (1998)
5/5

"It stands to reason that death, being death, is already dead and therefore cannot be killed. Hence, to make the statement that death metal is dead is a dead issue. To prove the point one only has to listen to Dichotic's new disc Collapse Into Despair. Imagine the soundtrack to a bus tour of hell, an open-bus, on a day when they just got a new shipment of brimstone. Now imagine being run over by that bus. Slowly.

Collapse Into Despair is intensely heavy with more chord changes than a hippie in the pants section at Frenchies (ed. a used clothing store). Throw in the gnarliest growls this side of a rabid pit bull and you've got a record that even your mother would love. Provided of course that she's a sick, twisted anti-Christ who gets up early on Sundays to watch Coronation Street. PURE EVIL"

- Zach Tovey, The Coast Magazine, October 22, 1998


Well, not everyone has to like it...

"This is almost a "no future" band, at least they have no future with such music. Collapse Into Despair brings back to memory those times when 99% of metalheads began to grow tired of death metal because most of bands couldn't offer anything splendid, even brutality? And DICHOTIC may be easily reckoned to such acts. Yes, riffs are heavy and that guttural voice is somewhat brutal, but you see, this album doesn't leave such an impression as for example DYING FETUS or SINISTER's works do. This CD features very boring and insincere music, therefore I'll better go and listen to BEHEADED or JESUS MARTYR once again."

- Herr Stalhammar, Vae Solis Web 'zine

Dichotic

www.dichotic.com

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