Warning: Evil enclosed

Controlled By Time (Punctured Records)

Levl

By Tristan Palmer

Is Lucifer the vocalist here? No, sorry to disappoint you, but it's Kyle Lamb -- his vocals are definitely death metal, and he plays bass too. Completed by two guitarists, Murray Howes and Todd Pimlott, and drummer Jason Flesh, this four-piece Canadian death metal act is nothing less than the usual. It's not bad if you're looking for the same old trend. With a sound blending Morbid Angel with S.F.U. minus the hard kicking double bass, it's nothing less than typical. Regardless though, they are a good death metal band. They didn't leave a song without a guitar solo - woo-hoo.

Controlled By Time is a collection of songs that just very much blend together. Death metal fans are sure to love this one, with tracks like "Demoness" keeping the speed and thrash equal with growling vocals. This leads to tracks such as "Mesmerized" which is slower, but still nothing less than awesome. Although the music is hardcore to each deafening note, the lyrics are about betrayal and pain. I'm used to hearing death metal vocalists roar out things like splatter carcasses at my feet, or something along those lines. Apparently, Levl decided to defy that rule of death metal. It paid off, too, because their lyrics match with the title of the CD.

All in all, Levl is a destructive, depressed death metal band. In other words, this is a must buy for the darklings out there, and useless for the people searching for a new sound. Beware, however: Controlled By Time may tap into your darker psyche and make you do bad things.