Procreation is a Dutch band from the city of Zwolle. They play a form of blackened death metal. This in 2012 founded band has released their first full length album ‘Ghostwood’. Ghostwood contains 9 songs of pure hammering death metal.

 

With their first song ‘Killing Culture’ Procreation immediately remind me of the epic death metal band Vader. The song has some great melodic guitar riffs that really remind me of Dimmu Borgir-style of melodic riffing.

Second song is called ‘Menelik, The Sovereign’. This is more of an melodic death metal song instead of the blackened death metal they produce on ‘Killing Culture’. It also has some surprising ‘thrashy’ galloping type of riffs which is pretty known to combine in the Dutch metal scene.

Third song, ‘The Frenzy Is Tideless’, has an riff that totally annoys me. It stays in your head the whole day but on the positive side is that you don’t forget about this so far great album by Procreation.

Fourth song, ‘Violent Rays’ is pretty much a pure death/thrash song. A lot of Dutch bands have the urge to combine those two genres and so is Procreation. Not that it is bad but I have the feeling that Procreation could be more than being ‘another band in the Dutch death/thrash genre’.

 

Now on with the title track of the album ‘Ghostwood’. Erie sounds evole into an epic sweeping riff which further on goes into a frenzy of pure blackened death metal which Procreation should produce. Definitely my favourite song of the whole full length.

The next song up is ‘The Cycle In Black’. Coming back on the comparison with Vader, this song could be easily been written and put on a full length album by them. Damn, this is an amazing song with some amazing solos with fit in perfectly.

 

‘Death Is My Beat’ is the name of the eight song. Besides that it is a great song to listen to if you like your death metal a more thrashy. A good song but not the sound Procreation is looking for in my opinion.

‘Reflections, (Of A Dying World) is a beautiful acoustic in between piece with some great atmospheric sounds which prepares perfectly for the next song.

Save the best for last? ‘Can’t Stop The Bleeding’ makes is very hard to say that ‘Ghostwood’ is still my favourite song. Starting with some really pure death metal riffing, Procreation does surprise me again halfway through the song (in a good way).

 

Procreation, a death metal band with thrash and some black metal influences. ‘Ghostwood’ is an excellent full length but their sound has to perfected to thrash or death or black metal. I’m really forward to their next ep/full length. ‘Ghostwood’ is an great cd added to my Dutch metal collection. I give this album a 7.5 out of 10.