Druga duża płyta zajebistego francuskiego zespołu grającego okrutny death metal w stylu SUFFOCATION, HATE ETERNAL, MORBID ANGEL.
Heavy Metal Tribune [80/100]:
French brutal death metal outfit Offending this year releases their sophomore full length album Age of Perversion. Featuring 3 ex and current members of the experimental/technical black metal band Asmodee certainly got me rather interested, with myself being quite a fan of the band’s works and the technical abilities of the musicians involved. It would certainly be great then if these musicians are able to bring forth their capabilities into Offending, and make Age of Perversion a nice brutal yet technically enjoyable record.
Along with the blasphemous and Satanic themes that the band has written on the album, Offending matches these with the quality of the music that is on the album, with opening track Infested by His Burden easily misleading curious listeners into thinking that this were another black metal release with the haunting introductory riffs. But as the track begins proper, the band’s style of brutal death metal is clear, first with the relentless battery of drummer Vincent, and also with the crushing riffs of Gropoil and Manu, who throughout the record retains that slight black metal influence in their playing style, throwing in bits and pieces of it whenever they deem fit, helping to enhance the overall atmosphere in the music. The technical side of the band are often displayed in the instrumental section, with Gropoil and Manu often unleashing complex riffs and bassist Yoni following it with ease. Vincent’s drumming also does not disappoint, as he easily switches between styles and time signatures without any hesitation, allowing for a brutal experience without compromising on the technicality. At times, Offending sounds like a fusion between Hate Eternal and Suffocation, especially with the aggressive and spiteful growls of vocalist Jesus, and the cheesy moments like the riffing style in the middle of Modern Enslavement.
Like already mentioned, what made Offending‘s Age of Perversion really enjoyable was that slight tinge of black metal that the band has infused in their music, allowing for the music of the band to stand out from other brutal death metal releases with the higher focus on the atmosphere rather than simply presenting crushing riffs after crushing riffs. Songs like Within This World even contains moments that would have comfortably fit with Polish black/death bands like Behemoth and the likes. This is further heard not only in the melodies of the lead guitar lines of Gropoil and Manu, but also in the guitar tone, often sending chills down the listener’s back. Religion Depravity even provides a slightly mellower and melodic moment in the middle of the 40-minute onslaught, and is a nice, short break with the soaring guitar lines and slightly slower pace, though the darkness in the band’s music is still present on the track, and is not too far deviant from the band’s other tracks. Overall, Age of Perversion is an extremely enjoyable record, and the nice balance between brutality, technicality and melody would certainly appeal to fans of any style of death metal.