Lightning Swords of Death hail from a secretive and often disregarded part of the American black metal scene. The group has been on a rampage since 2003 when they released the acclaimed "The Golden Plague," which triggered interest in the USBM underground and eventually conjured a record deal with Metal Blade Records some years down the road. "The Extra Dimensional Wound," however, makes all the word-of-mouth hype and buzzing positivism completely irrelevant once the band's monotonous facade of vapid black metal frisked over a trashy screen of harshness slowly crumbles beneath the high expectations and hopes of black metal fans everywhere. Lightning Swords of Death is so focused on the haphazard side of musical brutality that it siphons the potential out of "The Extra Dimensional Wound" like a slutty chick sucking beer out of a keg, at least until the forty-four minute plod finally (and thankfully) goes into hibernation.Lightning Swords of Death strives on an abrasive form of black metal with blatant overtones of thrashy riffs, typically divulging in rapid sections and speedy patterns. Unfortunately, the album is loaded with riffs and ideas that just fly at rapid rates and show aggression. On top of that, nothing is remotely memorable; the constant barrage of heaviness surges by without leaving a touch of noteworthy material. They only make due on a few gems: the grooving riff at the beginning of "Nihilistic Stench" will immediately induce those bobbing reflexes in your neck, and the title track bulldozes from start to finish, its slashing riffs and hammering percussion heave an essence of violent graciousness the remaining counterparts fail to achieve.
"Invoke the Desolate One," however, makes an impact the size of a proton. "Damnation Pentastrike" starts after the useless "Zwartgallig" interlude, and once again the riffs, harsh vocals, unsophisticated percussion, and forgetful instrumentality carry no fire. The record's leftovers do just that, yielding zero riffs or memorable moments worth mentioning; it's like background music for an extreme metal party, honestly. The closing "Paths to Chaos" tries to avoid the record's ongoing banality through noisy interludes and a plethora of riffs that end up burning for eleven minutes. What does the listener gather from this monolithic conclusion? Absolutely nothing, much like the whole pie; just another slice of the jejune, monotonous, unresponsive nonsense that defines "The Extra Dimensional Wound." Oh garbage man, where art thou?
This venomous assault quickly becomes a silly and feeble offering which completely drops the ball once Lightning Swords of Death puts up its instrumental barrier that separates the band from a land of individualism or a musical cache worthy to be broken. Instead, the eight-track dud stays dormant in its thrashing black metal state, never to become anything more. Everything that could be wrong with this release is, and the sole fact that this blueprint has been done by factions far superior to Lightning Swords of Death should provide my final thought regarding whether or not this album deserves a spot in your collection.
Lightning Swords of Death - The Extra Dimensional Wound
Rating:2.5