The death metal scene during the nineties in New York and the upper east coast was one of the stronger American metal scenes, and the thrash scene wasn't too shabby either. Well, Ripping Corpse proves to be the best of both genres. After releasing three monstrous demos, the band unleashed what is quite possibly the greatest death/thrash album ever, "Dreaming With the Dead." This isn't your typical death/thrash album, though. While most death/thrash bands made their mark by pushing the limits of extremity for the thrash genre, Ripping Corpse had a sound that hasn't really ever been duplicated.
One of the major reasons why the band's sound hasn't been completely ripped off by dozens of new bands, is because of the absolutely evil sounding guitar tone. Think Infernal Majesty on "None Shall Defy," only much darker and sinister. In addition to the tone, the riffs throughout this record are top-notch and have a lot of variety. The opening track "Sweetness" has an amazing arsenal of riffs on it's own. The song opens with some morbid sounding chords and Scott Ruth's vocals which sound like a much more understandable version of John Tardy, before turning into a nice midpaced riff that eventually transforms into an amazing riff that is impossible to not headbang to. The title track and "Rift of Hate" utilize the awesome guitar tone the best by bringing in some more doomy riffs and melodies to accompany the blistering fast thrash riffs. Another small, yet vital part of the overall atmosphere created on "Dreaming With the Dead" comes from the inclusion of the fast, one to two bar solos that guitarists Rutan and Kelly manage to weave in randomly throughout the album. The song "Beyond Humanity" is the best example of this.
Another real highlight of the album are the vocals. As mentioned earlier, Scott Ruth sounds like John Tardy of Obituary, but less throaty and with some slight vocal tendencies similar to those of Max Cavalera on the early Sepultura albums. His vocals really stand out during the more midpaced moments, where he can add his voice to take the parts over the top, especially during the chorus of "Anti God." Brandon Thomas' work behind the drum kit on this record has got to be one of the most underrated performances on any kind of death or thrash metal record. The drums add an intense amount of speed, whether Thomas is blasting away or just destroying his double bass pedals, the speed on "Dreaming With the Dead" reaches tempos faster than some grindcore records.
In the end, there will never be an album that can capture what Ripping Corpse did on this one. The evil and dark atmosphere, the speed, solos, riffs, melodies, vocals and everything in between. This album is just flawless in every way and I can't find anything to complain about, other than Ripping Corpse not continuing on, but that's for another day. If you haven't heard this album, get on it ASAP.
Highlights
"Sweetness"
"Anti God"
"Through the Skin to the Soul"
Final Rating
Masterpiece [9.7/10]
