Throwing Horns

Grade: n/a

It's hard to imagine a Melodic Death/Black band coming from Scandinavia these days that can actually hold a candle to the top performers in that league. Denmark's Compos Mentis is a band that shows such promise, with comparisons to Dimmu Borgir's "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" to even more underground melodic Swedish Death Metal bands such as Ablaze My Sorrow and A Canorous Quintet (RIP). Previously hearing a Compos Mentis demo through my friend, Rich (owner of Lost Disciple), as he was considering signing them, I was impressed as well. Since the demo that I have heard, the band has flourished into "Fragments of a Withered Dream" showcasing a thick production, courtesy of Jacob Hansen (Withering Surface, Invocator) and no weak spots within. While some who are concerned about originality may not be impressed with Compos Mentis, they certainly won't be able to write them off as a clone band or even inferior. Proof can be shown because there's releases on major labels that are total trash compared to "FOAWD", not even worth touching with a fifty-foot shitstick. And it also leads me to believe that this is Lost Disciple's strongest release (for my tastes) to date. If you can appreciate extremely melodic, atmospheric Black/Death Metal, Compos Mentis is definitely a worthwhile band to seek out.
-Colin Conway