Cassette Review: Athium Satanus "The Dumbass Collection"

[$5 // Edition of 50 // https://athiumsatanus.bandcamp.com/album/the-dumbass-collection]

Within the linear notes of this cassette it is noted as to what this collection is made up of but it really just boils down to the fact that you are getting a lot of music on this single cassette.    While there are moments which can stand out as being particularly odd the majority of the sounds you will hear on "The Dumbass Collection" are chugging metal guitars with screaming and/or growling.    It's something that I can't quite place in terms of comparison on that level but it also doesn't sound like a complete version of that either, should you choose to pick a reference point such as Dead to Fall because there are other factors at play here as well.

Side A has heavy drumming, grinding and just distorted static.    Industrial drum beats can be found and then at some point closer to the end it gets really quiet.  A hum drone comes through and I'm beginning to think that as I'm listening to it the effect of it kicking back in loudly will disturb me since I've turned it up to maximum volume.   This doesn't actually happen and I just wonder if this portion of the cassette is dubbed at a low level for some reason or maybe it was the source material.    There is drumming, screams and then electric guitar clank within this quieter time.   It does get back into the feel of thrash and a little bit louder but still doesn't seem to maintain the level of loudness- in terms of volume, not content- that it had at the beginning.    Growls come through and I'm reminded of both Sick Of It All and Guttermouth.  I enjoy the line where he says you look like a turtle.

On the flip side we get back to a more standard level of volume or at least to the point where I don't have to turn this up all the way to hear it at what is about half the volume of other cassettes.     The intro to start things off has a didgeridoo in it- I believe- and, yes, I have to look up the correct spelling of that word every time I use it.    It gets heavy, guitar riffs are present and then there is a single scream.    With distortion and growls there are also a number of metal guitar riffs.   This is before we go into a guitar part which reminds me of Santana and then after that we dive into some Little Richard and, yes, this is taking a weird turn but it also feels like the remains of a cassette which was dubbed over as pieces of actual Little Richard though the songs are just coming through in pieces.

Little Richard appears to be what this ends on and it is kind of strange that would come out and be placed there on purpose as the songs are cropped down into little snipets but if you want to know the reasoning behind it all you'd have to ask the artist as it is beyond me.    So for the rest of the music though it does have an overall metal feel to it which can go slow like sludge and faster like thrash but it's just a solid work and even if you think of this as a collection of different releases it still maintains the same overall vibe and should be an instant classic for any metal fan.