Lectern - "Deheadment for Betrayal" (Via Nocturna, 2018)

Band: Lectern
Title: Deheadment for Betrayal
Genre: Death Metal with Slamming Brutal Death influences
Time: 42 min
Year: 30th March 2018
Rating: 55/100












Hey brutalbangers, did you spend nice holidays? Yes or not, this is my first review after a week of holidays that I recently spent in Northern Italy. And this first review is about Lectern and their third album (in 4 prolific years since 2015!) "Deheadment for Betrayal"!

The Roman deathsters Lectern are known for their Satanic death metal ala Deicide with some thrash metal touches. But the things are surprisingly changed a little bit with this new opus. Okay, their music is always Satanic death metal but, recorded with the new second guitarist Gabriele Cruz, "Deheadment for Betrayal" have songs that are longer (average lenght: 5 minutes), simplier and slower like never before. In fact, Lectern have preferred this time for an approach more focused on the mid/slow tempos with the consequence that the blast-beats (and the fast moments, in general) are incredibly few in comparison with their previous albums, as expressed perfectly in songs completely lacking of violent passages like "Provvid as Gemel Confessors" or the closing "Pamphlet Spawn at Gelid Crypt Satan". This increase of mid/slow tempos is due not only to some Incantation tunes (and this is good) but also to many slamming brutal death metal sequences (and this is bad) that, after a while, make predictable the entire discourse. Anyway, these brutal death metal influences are justified if you think that the leader and vocalist/bassplayer Fabio Bava (no, no relationship with the horror movie director Mario Bava!) played in the past with bands like Corpsefucking Art while the guitarist Pietro Sabato is also a current member of Sudden Death (as you know, I written also a live report about a gig of them).

Some reviewers complained about the special lyrics of Lectern. Yes, apart the fact that we're certainly talking about lyrics totally devoted to celebrate Satan and the entire underworld, they are a bit incomprehensible also for me. This because the band, as proclaimed by it, tend to use, in every fukken song, a series of really obsolete English words that, maybe, you will hear in your entire life only through the Lectern's albums! So, did you ever hear words like "oscitant", "aver", "dell" or the same "deheadment"...but is "deheadment" an existing word? But, sincerely, be them comprehensible or not, the lyrics aren't the real problems about this album.

Actually, the problems comes not only from the slamming parts but just from this slower approach, which makes really less intense and engaging this new album. This means that I largely prefer the most violent numbers like "Leals Shalt Kill" (whose the band made a promotional video) and "Dogmatician of Predicator" (that contains a very good guitar solo). I have to admit that Lectern never truly impressed me since their debut album "Fratricidal Concelebration" (this review linked of mine is in Italian) also due to a songwriting with some too convoluted solutions, but there is need to say that "Deheadment for Betrayal" is, without any doubts, their weaker album. And this is a shame, also because the stunning cover artwork was made by a known German artist like Andreas Marschall, famous for his works for bands like Kreator, Sodom, Helloween, Blind Guardian and many others. So, if you want to listen to some nice Lectern tunes, then I suggest you to try to listen to "Precept of Delator" (another review of mine in Italian), that's my favorite album released by them. Instead, my suggestion to Lectern is clear and simple: I don't ask to be the new Ascended Dead but, please, MAKE MORE VIOLENT your music!

P.S.: some years ago, I organized a gig of Lectern (with supporting acts like Brvmak and Beyond the Dark, both Italians) at the renowned Traffic Live Club. This is the live report (in Italian) about that night.

P.S. 2: Lectern will support the Spanish death metal legends Avulsed along with Perfidious (emerging death metal band coming from the Northern Italy) in a devastating live gig scheduled on 12th October 2018 at Traffic Live Club in Rome (flyer at your left). It isn't the first time that Lectern support International bands since once they had the honour to tour nothing else with the mighty Incantation. So, see ya at Traffic on 12th October!!!









Tracklist:

1 - Deheadment for Betrayal
2 - Placid Must Defunct
3 - Daedal of Thy Wrath Unchrist Altar
4 - Provvid as Gemel Confessors
5 - Leals Shalt Kill
6 - Perturb in Lamb Thronal
7 - Dogmatician of Predicator
8 - Pamphlet Spawn at Gelid Crypt Satan

Line-up:

Fabio Bava - vocals/bass
Pietro Sabato - guitars
Gabriele Cruz - guitars
Marco Valentine - drums

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lectern666
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMP_NRG5ZFu1x2d1q-IiFIQ/
Via Nocturna: http://vianocturna.com/