Self release
August 26
Words by Erin Eddy
“I don’t mind a bit of melodic death metal!” I told our esteemed editor as I put my hand up to review
the album Killing For Pleasure Forever, by Mexican band Death Scythe. But after giving this record a solid few listens, I sat down to compose this review wondering if I’d bitten off more than I can chew.
While I didn’t lie about enjoying melodic death metal, an aficionado I am not, and so here I am
nervously embarking on a mission to review this album with the consideration it deserves. But, hey, I
didn’t take this gig to only cover genres I’m a self-proclaimed expert in. Where would the challenge
lie there? How would I discover new bands to excite me? Bands like Death Scythe! So let me preface
this for the MDM hardcores out there, I may not touch on all the intricacies of the genre, but here’s
the most important thing you need to know: Killing For Pleasure Forever is GREAT.
This is my first exposure to Death Scythe. Perhaps I’m fortunate in a way, for a little bit of research
led me to discover that their debut album Killing For Pleasure was released in 2008 and Killing For
Pleasure Forever is a re-recording of said debut. The track order is slightly different, and two songs
(The Curse and Silent Death) have been omitted from the re-release, but of course, the noticeable
difference is the production quality. I have really questioned myself while comparing the two
releases. Would I have been as impressed had I been given the 2008 version to review? I mean, good
songs are good songs, but production quality has a huge impact on listenability, and it pains me to
say it, but I don’t think my attention would have been piqued the way it has been now.
I think it speaks volumes for this band that they have chosen to give these songs the life they
deserve by re-recording this album, when a lot of bands would leave them be and move on. As
artists and songwriters, we all strive to grow and evolve and create newer, bigger and better things,
but often times there are songs that are unfairly represented – usually by the limits of our budgets –
so to nurture them into new life in the way that Killing For Pleasure Forever has done, it not only
showcases the songs at their finest, but places them in front of a new audience all these years later.
Example A, right here!
It’s worth noting that Death Scythe had a significant hiatus between the release of their first album
and its follow-up, Descending Into Xibalba (released in 2020), largely due to vocalist Gerardo
Mendoza moving to Canada to pursue a career in 3D animation. Without knowing anything more
about what the members did during that time, I can only presume that they did not let their musical
chops get rusty, because the musicianship on this album is rock solid. If soaring guitar harmonies and
delicious hooks are your jam, you will not be disappointed. If pelting drumbeats blow your skirt up,
you’ll be satisfied. If gravelly vocals delivered with ferocity make you froth, this has got you. If you’re
a little nerdy, you might dig the fact that Death Scythe tie in the links to their Mayan heritage
throughout the songs, with the Mayan outlook on death as a cyclic affair playing a big role in the
overall vibe of the band’s music. When you mix all this together, it’s one tasty, tasty package.
For me, the standout tracks are Wind, which is very atmospheric with the guitar melodies offering a
delicate and sweet melancholia underneath the aggression in the vocals. The Death Scythe has some
beautiful sweeping guitar work and Hollow Darkness has everything you want in a heavy song; it’s
deliciously riffy with a moshy beat (I challenge you to listen without nodding your head) and with a
ripper guitar solo to boot.
Just to reiterate as someone who merely dips a toe into the waters of melodeath, I can’t shed a lot of expertise on the intricacies of this album from a genre perspective, however what I can
confidently proclaim is that I rate this album highly and Death Scythe have themselves a new fan.
Word on the street is that a new album is already in the works, so I shall be eagerly awaiting that, but
in the meantime, Killing For Pleasure Forever will be on high rotation for a while!
