Death's Design [Soundtrack]

Death's Design [Soundtrack]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Solo project of Blakkheim from Swedish pioneers Katatonia. Features a quartet orchestration from Estonia, and cover art by Travis Smith (Death, Nevermore). 61 tracks in all.

Death's Design,Diabolical Masquerade,Original Soundtrack,Olympic,Heavy Metal,Pop,Rock,Soundtracks

Symmetric in Design
Average customer rating:

where did these guys come from?

Great Stuff

A solid debut...

Good but could be better

Impressive debut if not completely original.

Symmetric in Design
Scar Symmetry
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Pitch Black Progress

Under Reprisal

Since the Day It All Came Down

Eclipse

Natural Born Chaos

ASIN: B000AA4LP0
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Tracks:

Chaosweaver
2012 -- The Demise of the 5th Sun
Dominion
Underneath the Surface
Reborn
Veil of Illusions
Obscure Alliance
Hybrid Cult
Orchestrate the Infinite
Detach from the Outcome
Seeds of Rebellion
Eleventh Sphere

Customer Reviews:

where did these guys come from?.......2006-11-17

this is a superb first effort from Scar Symmetry. Jonas Kjellgren, who was the vocal powerhouse in Carnal Forge, now showcases his guitar skills. this band would be a welcome addition to your collection if you have Soilwork and Fragments of Unbecoming in your collection or if you are a metalhead.

Great Stuff .......2006-08-06

Just found out about this band from a friend I heard the song REBORN, and was blown away. As a huge fan of the melodic Deth, I was hooked to this band right away. The Heavy riffs, fast drumming, and vocals are really easy to get into. Both clean and Growling vocals on this album are awesome!!! I could go on and on about how much I love this band, but I'll tell you that if you love metal, then this CD is for you.

A solid debut..........2006-07-25

I first heard and listened to SS with their second album Pitch Black Progress (which rocks). I like their newer stuff so much that I bought this one. It is a solid debut, but unless you love their second album, you probably won't like this one a whole lot. The vocals are a little too unpolished for me (both the clean and growls). Musically, this album does showcase the enormous progressive metal potential they have. All in all I think they are a great band to support, and look forward to their 3rd album.

Good but could be better.......2006-07-19

It seems everyone compares SCAR to SOILWORK. SOIL was great at Natural born chaos, everything after that sucked. SCAR seems to have gone in a better path of where SOIL tried to go. This album to me has 5 good songs: 1,2,3,5,7. The rest of the album seems to be filled with FILLERS, just something to give them a complete album. I recommend only if you are in the need for a band that has over shadowed the NEW soilwork. My opinion is that SCAR has a better sound and playing ability than the new soilwork, so there is no comparison between the two.

Impressive debut if not completely original........2006-05-21

Well, what have we here? Scar Symmetry is made of members from various other entities including Theory in Practice and Carnal Forge. Before I had a listen to this, their debut album "Symmetric in Design", I'd read a few positive reviews about it, but I didn't really know what to expect. What it's turned out to be is very much in the vein of Soilwork, but with much more of a technical death metal side to it.

For anyone wanting to give the album a listen, I urge you to listen to more than the first 20 seconds before making up your mind, as the first moments sound something like Iron Maiden. It's a strange opening, since the rest of the album doesn't sound anything like it. Soon enough we are dished out some seriously shredding technical guitar work, awesome powerful drumming and fantastically brutal guttural vocals.

But this really does sound like Soilwork, including having clean vocals mixed with screaming and shouting vocals. The only thing that makes it sound any different at all is the added keyboards and extra technicality due to some very impressive guitar wizardry. So should Scar Symmetry be written off as a clone? Normally I'd say yes, but I have found "Symmetric in Design" to be far more enjoyable than anything Soilwork have put out in a long time. Check out track 2 ("2012 - The Demise of the 5th Sun"), to see how tight and brutal these guys are. The little sci-fi keyboard additions add depth to the album without ever taking centre stage. The death vocals are some of the best I've heard in a while, the solos are fantastic and the drummer is like a machine.

Unfortunately, the album does lull around track 6 or 7, losing a bit of steam, but overall I'm very impressed with "Symmetric in Design". If they didn't sound so blatantly like Soilwork, I'd give them a really high score, but I can't ignore it so I'm going to go for a very solid 4. Maybe with the next album, they can get their own sound and create something truly breathtaking, as the talent and enthusiasm is abundant within the ranks. Impressive debut!

Sybreed, Slave Design as heard on Hell Boy soundtrack

Average customer rating:

Sybreed, Slave Design as heard on Hell Boy soundtrack

Manufacturer: Reality Entertainment
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000QTD6LA
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Bioactive
ReEvolution
Decoy
Synthetic Breed
Next Day Will Never Come
Machine Gun Messiah
Take the Red Pill
Rusted
Static Currents
Critical Mass
ReEvolution
Decoy

amazon.com

SYBREED sounds like nothing you've ever heard....literally. Unless of course you've heard a hybrid mix of Meshuggah, Nine Inch Nails, Placebo and Fear Factory, all taking place on a sonic landscape that reminds you of the Matrix - complete with visceral screams of human suffering and the never ending madness taking place here on Planet Earth. SYBREED morphed itself into existence in the year 2003. There was once a band called RAIN who made records and toured with the likes of Napalm Death, Immortal, Dew-Scented, Digger, Nightwish, Lacuna Coil and others but they broke-up because there was a higher calling from the Gods of the Underworld. While tampering with the rituals put forth in the Egyptian book of spells, BEN, the one who sings, called forth from the ashes of what was once RAIN and there merged a new collective that can only be called SYBREED. When all four members first stood in front of each other in an empty war-torn warehouse in the industrial part of Switzerland it was clear that DROP, the one who plays guitar, would bring the light and then the vision. BURN would play the bass and provide the storm and ALEX would command the crushing, relentless hammer on Drums. Truth is stranger than fiction and SYBREED are as much like teenage super heroes as they are musicians. By day, they might be seen eating at McDonald?s or even cavorting with humans, when night falls however, it's another story. Like a Phoenix, SYBREED transcends what we know as "normal" when they unleash their collective power through sound and lyric and literally become young gods on-stage. SYBREED paints a cold world where violence and brutality breed megalomaniacs and paranoid schizophrenics are the leaders of the apocalypse. The world they paint could be the one we live in now, science says it's possible. If it is, be sure that SYBREED will provide the siren spreading the word to the people that there is much to fight for and much to live for. Perhaps it's not too late for mankind, the oceans and the forests: perhaps what Sybreed seems to know so well can remain part of some other dimension. On September 4th, Reality Entertainment will release SYBREED's debut album, Slave Design. The album was produced by DROP whose visions of the future have culminated into 10 auditory masterpieces. Like nothing before it, Slave Design is a sprawling epic journey into some of the most frightening, disturbing and distressing areas of human denial, while at times soothing the soul with melodies from another world. Reality Entertainment considers SYBREED to be the next generation of metal - a true innovator with an agenda not to conquer the world with its music but to save it. SYBREED MUSIC IS FEATURED ON HELLY BOY, SWORD OF STORMS OUT SOON! www.reality-entertainment.com

Average customer rating:

5 stars for the campfire version of future breed machine alone!
The True Human Design!
An E.P You Can Surprisingly Listen to, Again and Again
Not essential but worth getting
Buy it for the mayhem version of FBM

True Human Design
Meshuggah
Manufacturer: Nuclear Blast Americ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Progressive | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Alternative Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Hard Rock & Metal | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Rare Trax
Contradictions Collapse/None
Destroy Erase Improve
Chaosphere
I

ASIN: B000000H2D
Release Date: 1997-11-25

Tracks:

Sane
Future Breed Machine (Live)
Future Breed Machine (Mayhem Version)
Future Breed Machine (Campfire Version)
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled

Album Details

Includes CD extra tracks featuring videos for Terminal Illusions & Transfixion.

Customer Reviews:

5 stars for the campfire version of future breed machine alone!.......2006-09-10

Imagine a whole album by Meshuggah in this style?!?!!? It would be amazing and totally change things up for this band! The campfire version of Future breed machine is jazzy, funny and all around awesome. Its too bad most of their fans would not be forgiving of such a change.. Sigh... its too bad because I think that I rather enjoy this song over most of their regular style songs. Their awesome change ups and time signatures are amazing, but the constant screaming is annoying. Hopefully in the future we might see a full "campfire" album by Meshuggah

The True Human Design!.......2005-09-30

This ep is really only worth buying for Sane, Future Breed Machine live and the mayhem version. Sane is mixed a little differently compared to the end result on Chaosphere. Only get this if you bleed Meshuggah.

An E.P You Can Surprisingly Listen to, Again and Again.......2005-04-09

You wouldn't think that, with 4 remixed versions of the Meshuggah song "Future Breed Machine" and 1 Live version of it, you could listen to this over and over again and enjoy it everytime. But you definitely can. "Future Breed Machine" to me, is a great Meshuggah song, but not one of my personal favourites..But i can still listen to this, and keep coming back to it, because it's Meshuggah. And they really make great remixes of their songs too.

The first song "Sane", is the exact version you'll hear on their 1998 album "Chaosphere"..so to fans who already have "Chaosphere" there's nothing new there. And to fans who maybe don't own "Chaosphere", "Sane" is a good 'sample' of what that album sounds like. In my opinion, their best album to date.

The second song is the Live version of "Future Breed Machine", recorded in Umeå, Sweden in May 1997. It's actually the only Live song of theirs i have ever heard, and it truly blows me away with how tight they are on stage as well as in the studio. Nothing is out of place here, and they really capture the intensity of the show too.

The "Mayhem" version of "Future Breed Machine" starts off slow, and then on comes the crushingly heavy slowed-down riffs. Believe me, the riffs mixed with Jens Kidmans screaming, really define how heavy Meshuggah are/can be..even if this is a remix of the song "Future Breed Machine". This song in many ways, reminds me of the "Concatenation Slomo Remix" that can be found on the Meshuggah "Rare Trax" CD, released in 2001. They're both equally as heavy, i think.

The "Campfire" version of "Future Breed Machine" is basically a short, amusing (At first), version of the song that can really get tedious after the first few listens. I don't know who sings it, it's definitely not Jens Kidman, but they do get really annoying after a while. But it shows that Meshuggah do have a sense of humour, and don't take themselves too seriously like some other Metal bands.

The next two songs that follow are techno remixes of "Future Breed Machine", that are actually pretty listenable. Both go over the 6 minute mark, and it's hard at times to really pick out which parts of "Future Breed Machine" are in there..sometimes there's no connection at all..but both are good experimental tracks. The first one almost sounds like an atmospheric Godflesh, if you know of that band, with how Jens Kidmans screaming vocals are heard at particular times during the song. And the second techno remix (Which i think is better) sounds more advanced and technical..almost like Autechre in a small way. It also has Jens Kidmans screaming vocals in it too, at certain times.

So, if you really like the song "Future Breed Machine", then i think you'll thoroughly enjoy this E.P. If you're like me, and find it's a great song but it isn't one of your favourites, then you'll obviously still enjoy it as well.

I give it 4/5. A great E.P by a truly unique and amazingly talented band.

Not essential but worth getting.......2004-07-06

This album is good but it best suits the die hard Meshuggah fans.

Buy it for the mayhem version of FBM.......2004-07-02

This is actually a good purchase indeed,but the mayhem version of FBM is heavy and easily worth the money just for that song.

Average customer rating:

The Human Design
Shot Down Sun
Manufacturer: Crash Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000JFY0VQ
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Tracks:

Prelude (They Have Been Watching Us)
Blame Jules Verne
Neematoad
Escaping Eternity
Interlude (The Code Is Broken)
Perfect Murder
Under a Pale Sky
Aesthetics
Lethargy
Human Design
Outro (We Die at the Hands of Machines)
I'm Not Dead [*]

Average customer rating:

Death by Design
THC
Manufacturer: Caroline Distributio
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Consenting Guinea Pig

ASIN: B00000DTU5
Release Date: 1996-01-23

Tracks:

Somebody Has to Die
Allopathic Medicine
Gun Control
Bangkok Six
T.H.C.
Death by Design
Directly from Angels
Directly from Satan
Xenotransplant

Average customer rating:

Original Soundtrack

Death's Design
Diabolical Masquerade , and Original Soundtrack
Manufacturer: Avantgarde
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005A82X
Release Date: 2006-03-21

Tracks:

1: St Movement: Nerves in Rush
1: St Movement: Death Ascends - The Hunt, Pt. 1
1: St Movement: You Can't Hide Forever
1st Movement: Right on Time for Murder - The Hunt, Pt. 2
2: ND Movement: Conscious in No Materia
2: ND Movement: A Different Plane
2: ND Movement: Invisible to Us
2: ND Movement: The One Who Hides a Face Inside
3: RD Movement: ... And Don't Ever Listen to What It Says
3rd Movement: Revelation of the Puzzle
3: RD Movement: Human Prophecy
3: RD Movement: Where the Suffering Leads
4: TH Movement: The Remains of Galactic Expulsions
4th Movement: With Panic in the Heart
4: TH Movement: Out from the Dark
4th Movement: Still Coming at You
4: TH Movement: Out from a Deeper Dark
5: TH Movement: Spinning Back the Clocks
6: TH Movement: Soaring Over Dead Rooms
7: TH Movement: The Enemy Is the Earth
7: TH Movement: Recall
7: TH Movement: All Exits Blocked
7: TH Movement: The Memory Is Weak
7: TH Movement: Struck at Random/Outermost Fear
7: TH Movement: Sparks of Childhood Coming Back
8: TH Movement: Old People's Voodoo Seance
8: TH Movement: Mary-Lee Goes Crazy
8: TH Movement: Something Has Arrived
8: TH Movement: Possession of the Voodoo Party
9th Movement: Not of Flesh, Not of Blood
9th Movement: Intact with a Human Psyche
9th Movement: Keeping Faith
10: TH Movement: Someone Knows What Scares You
10: TH Movement: A Bad Case of Nerves
10: TH Movement: The Inverted Dream/No Sleep in Peace
10: TH Movement: Informatio
10: TH Movement: Setting the Course
11: TH Movement: Ghost Inhabitants
11: TH Movement: Fleeing from Town
11: TH Movement: Overlooked Parts
12: TH Movement: A New Spark - Victory Theme, Pt. 2
12: TH Movement: Hope - Victory Theme, Pt. 2
12: TH Movement: Family Portraits - Victory Theme, Pt. 3
13: TH Movement: Smokes Starts to Churn
13: TH Movement: Hesitant Behaviour
13: TH Movement: A Hurricane of Rotten Air
14: TH Movement: Mastering the Clock
15: TH Movement: They Come, You Go
16th Movements: Haarad el Chamon
16: TH Movement: The Egyptian Resort
16: TH Movement: The Pyramid
16: TH Movement: Frenzy Moods and Other Odditites
17th Movements: Still Part of the Design - The Hunt, Pt. 3
17: TH Movement: Definite Departure
18: TH Movement: Returning to Haraad el Chamon
18: TH Movement: Life Eater
18: TH Movement: The Pulze
18: TH Movement: The Defiled Feeds
19: TH Movement: The River in Space
19: TH Movement: A Soulflight Back to Life
20: TH Movement: Instant Rebirth - Alternate Ending

Album Description

2001original motion picture soundtrack release for the black metal project by Blackheim of Katatonia. The follow-up to their 1999 release 'Nightwork', called 'a black metal masterpiece'. Avantgarde Music.

Customer Reviews:

Original Soundtrack.......2001-07-16

Yes, this CD is a soundtrack. Diabolical Masquerade was selected by one of the producers of the movie "Death's Design," because of their horror style metal.

From the tracks I have heard from the album thus far, it is amazing. The music was written to follow the storyline of the movie, but it is not unlike Diabolical Masquerade's usual sound. In fact, it is quite the same; speedy, heavy, and very melodic all at the same time. A small orchestra was also involved in the music without changing the style of the music. I highly recommend this album and any other album you can acquire by Diabolical Masquerade.

Death's Design
Average customer rating:
Death's Design
Diabolical Masquerade , and Original Soundtrack
Manufacturer: Snapper Records/Ka
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000NJM1MI
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Tracks:

1st Movement: Nerves In Rush
1st Movement: Death Ascends - The Hunt (Part II)
1st Movement: You Can't Hide Forever
1st Movement :Right On Time For Murder - The Hunt (Part III)
2nd Movement: Conscious In No Materia
2nd Movement: A Different Plane
2nd Movement: Invisible To Us
2nd Movement: The One Who Hides A Face Inside
3rd Movement: ..And Don't Ever Listen To What It Says
3rd Movement: Revelation Of The Puzzle
3rd Movement: Human Prophecy
3rd Movement: Where The Suffering Leads
4th Movement: The Remains Of Galactic Expulsions
4th Movement: With Panic In The Heart
4th Movement: Out From The Dark
4th Movement: Still Coming At You
4th Movement: Out From A Deeper Dark
5th Movement: Spinning Back The Clocks
6th Movement: Soaring Over Dead Rooms
7th Movement: The Enemy Is The Earth
7th Movement: Recall
7th Movement: All Exits Blocked
7th Movement: The Memory Is Weak
7th Movement: Struck At Random/Outermost Fear
7th Movement: Sparks Of Childhood Coming Back
8th Movement: Old People's Voodoo Seance
8th Movement: Mary-Lee Goes Crazy
8th Movement: Something Has Arrived
8th Movement: Possession Of The Voodoo Party
9th Movement: Not Of Flesh, Not Of Blood
9th Movement: Intact With A Human Psyche
9th Movement: Keep Faith
10th Movement: Someone Knows What Scares You
10th Movement: A Bad Case Of Nerves
10th Movement: The Inverted Dream/No Sleep In Peace
10th Movement: Information
10th Movement: Setting The Course
11th Movement: Ghost Inhabitants
11th Movement: Fleeing From Town
11th Movement: Overlooked Parts
12th Movement: A New Spark - Victory Theme (Part I)
12th Movement: Hope - Victory Theme (Part II)
12th Movement: Family Portraits - Victory Theme (Part III)
13th Movement: Smokes Starts To Churn
13th Movement: Hesitant Behavior
13th Movement: A Hurricane Of Rotten Air
14th Movement: Mastering The Clock
15th Movement: They Come, You Go
16th Movement: Haarad El Chamon
16th Movement: The Egyptian Resort
16th Movement: The Pyramid
16th Movement: Frenzy Moods And The Other Odditites
17th Movement: Still Part Of The Design - The Hunt (Part III)
17th Movement: Definite Departure
18th Movement: Returning To Haarad El Chamon
18th Movement: Life Eater
18th Movement: The Pulze
18th Movement: The Defiled Feeds
19th Movement: The River In Space
19th Movement: A Soulflight Back To Life
19th Movement: Instant Rebirth - Alternate Ending

Average customer rating:

An Adroit Suffering
Death By Design
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000RGI6BW

Product Description

Tracks... 1. Tyrant 2. Skitzo 3. One Last Tear 4. Scared 5. Inner Hatred 6. Murder 101

Average customer rating:

Destroying By Design
Collapse
Manufacturer: Great White North
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000PY15YG

Product Description

Collapse was formed in August of 2001 from the ruins of former local bands Spur, Dusthead and Burden. Before it's inception, guitarist Jason Mackenzie (formerly of Spur) and vocalist / guitarist Shane Forsyth (formerly of Dusthead) spent most of the waking hours jamming and searching for competent band members to complete the circle. It wasn't long before they recruited former Spur drummer Chad Mitchell to take over the percussive elements of Collapse. With the drummer intact, they acquired former Burden bassist Howie Young to add the low end of musical spectrum.

Average customer rating:

Awesome work
Best 2001 extreme metal album
Could have been good
A State of Euphoria
i hate to do this

Death's Design
Diabolical Masquerade , and Original Soundtrack
Manufacturer: Olympic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Nightwork
Firestorm
The Mantle
Crimson
Pale Folklore

ASIN: B00005NQJB
Release Date: 2001-08-21

Tracks:

1st Movement: Nerves In Rush
1st Movement: Death Ascends - The Hunt (Part I)
1st Movement: You Can't Hide Forever
1st Movement: Right On Time For Murder - The Hunt (Part II)
2nd Movement: Conscious In No Materia
2nd Movement: A Different Plane
2nd Movement: Invisible To Us
2nd Movement: The One Who Hides A Face Inside
3rd Movement: ...And Don't Ever Listen To What It Says
3rd Movement: Revelation Of The Puzzle
3rd Movement: Human Prophecy
3rd Movement: Where The Suffering Leads
4th Movement: The Remains Of Galactic Expulsions
4th Movement: With Panic In The Heart
4th Movement: Out From The Dark
4th Movement: Still Coming At You
4th Movement: Out From A Deeper Dark
5th Movement: Spinning Back The Clocks
6th Movement: Soaring Over Dead Rooms
7th Movement: The Enemy Is The Earth
7th Movement: Recall
7th Movement: All Exits Blocked
7th Movement: The Memory Is Weak
7th Movement: Struck At Random/Outermost Fear
7th Movement: Sparks Of Childhood Coming Back
8th Movement: Old People's Voodoo Seance
8th Movement: Mary-Lee Goes Crazy
8th Movement: Something Has Arrived
8th Movement: Possession Of The Voodoo Party
9th Movement: Not Of Flesh, Not Of Blood
9th Movement: Intact With A Human Psyche
9th Movement: Keeping Faith
10th Movement: Someone Knows What Scares You
10th Movement: A Bad Case Of Nerves
10th Movement: The Inverted Dream/No Sleep In Peace
10th Movement: Information
10th Movement: Setting The Course
11th Movement: Ghost Inhabitants
11th Movement: Fleeing From Town
11th Movement: Overlooked Parts
12th Movement: A New Spark - Victory Theme (Part I)
12th Movement: Hope - Victory Theme (Part II)
12th Movement: Family Portraits - Victory Theme (Part III)
13th Movement: Smokes Starts To Churn
13th Movement: Hesitant Behaviour
13th Movement: A Hurricane Of Rotten Air
14th Movement: Mastering The Clock
15th Movement: They Come, You Go
16th Movement: Haarad El Chamon
16th Movement: The Egyptian Resort
16th Movement: The Pyramid
16th Movement: Frenzy Moods And Other Oddities
17th Movement: Still Part Of The Design - The Hunt (Part III)
17th Movement: Definite Departure
18th Movement: Returning To Haarad El Chamon
18th Movement: Life Eater
18th Movement: The Pulze
18th Movement: The Defiled Feeds
19th Movement: The River In Space
19th Movement: A Soulflight Back To Life
20th Movement: Instant Rebirth - Alternate Ending

Album Description

Solo project of Blakkheim from Swedish pioneers Katatonia. Features a quartet orchestration from Estonia, and cover art by Travis Smith (Death, Nevermore). 61 tracks in all.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome work.......2007-01-28

The first time that listens to this disc simply I hallucinated, it is a big work, both Swano and Nyström are a few geniuses composing and doing of producers. It hurts that the movie has not been released but like that will be something more exclusive, 100% good music

Best 2001 extreme metal album.......2006-10-14

Death's Design is an intensely complicated, nightmarish and poignant artistic masterpiece. While earlier Diabolical Masquerade albums were good but fairly generic and uninspired black metal fair, Death's Design is a massive departure into the land of the experimental and avant garde that can rightly be called the most cherishable metal album ever recorded. Death's Design was made possible in the teaming of Blackheim (Anders Nyström) and Dan Swanö of Edge of Sanity, who plays several instruments on the album (most notable being his incredibly impressive guitar work) and also probably had an influence on the composition.

Listenting to Diabolical Masquerade is no casual matter. You will experience an emotional, intense existential drama as the album mutates toward its climax that will inspire you to reflect on the very nature of our mortal coil. At first Diabolical Masquerade is fun (sort of like listenting to Carcass or Edge of Sanity) but the more you listen to it, the more meaning and power it will have, as it transforms from a brilliant and elegant piece of art to a philosophical meditation on death and fate.

Although the lyrics have not and probably will never be published, if one listens to Death's Design alone in the dark with headphones on in deep meditation it is possible to decipher most of the lyrics. For those who lack that sort of shamanistic discipline the lyrics are available online if you really know how to use google search - but keep in mind that anything you find will not be official lyrics but rather one individual's understanding of them.

The album is broken down into a number of movements (not unlike classical music) which are further divided into the actual tracks. Each movement has it's own dark, cinematic musical style (you'll hear influences from black metal, jazz, tribal drumming, classical music including orchestral sections, prog-metal, ambient, power metal and everything inbetween) and adds to the already mesmorizing narrative. Much like Edge of Sanity's Crimson, Death's Design seems as one giant, epic, dark track. The album has an incredible sense of unity (Which is astonishing considering the almost momentarily shifting timbre) that is accomplished through virtuistic instrumentation and haunting lyrical elements ('DRAG HIM DOWN!').

Everytime you listen to Death's Design the album's meaning is expanded and enjoyment is increased. Not the sort of profane enjoyment where you hear a dirty joke, eat a good meal or have an orgasm, but the type of enjoyment a Kabbalist might revel in upon discovering a new holy pattern within his Torah. You will begin to hear things you didn't hear before and understand lyrics which were previously unintelligible. The faint and mysterious whispers you hear inbetween tracks (such as in 7th movement: recall - track 21) will begin to speak to you clearly and shock your mind into contemplation and introspection.

For this reason alone I will not explain the story of the narrative or discuss the lyrics of Death's Design: I find that half of the experience is attempting to figure out the album's meaning. As with Blut Aus Nord's 'The Work Which Transforms God,' questions like "Whats it about?" cannot be answered in a few simple sentences; to truly appreciate this dark masterpiece, you have to experience it yourself.

Without a doubt Death's Design is the one album you MUST own as a metal fan, for it is one of the most intruiging, unique and satisfying albums you will ever own. It is also easily the best extreme metal album of 2001.

Could have been good.......2005-08-02

This album is really strange. 60 something tracks...Most of which are useless sound effects which could be an intro to a song. The tracks the band actually plays in are great...for about a minute, when they abruptly stop, and resume the sound effects. The songs could be really cool, if the band would just play them. The audio sample you get is basically the whole song. I recommend not buying this.

A State of Euphoria.......2005-05-03

"Death's Design" is one of those albums that from the moment you pop it in, the music grabs you, and pulls you into its realm. And this realm is gorgeous. Blakkheim/Swano really created a masterpiece in "Death's Design." I think the best word to describe this album is eclectic. There are a multitude of different types of musical elements included on "Death's Design." There are clean vocals, black metal screeches, great guitar melodies, pounding double bass drums, symphonic elements, atmospheric elements, etc., etc. What is unique about this album is that not one song (61 tracks in total) on this album is over 3 minutes. In fact many of the songs on this album are under a minute. The tempo changes so drastically from track to track (usually), and a whole new emotion is created within you from track to track. One track could be a 30 second lush symphonic piece, and the very next track could be a 45 second extreme metal brutal assault, packed with black metal screeches, insane guitar riffs, and double bass drums. What is extraordinary though, is that Blakkheim manages to mesh all of the tracks, all of the different sounds on this album flawlessly into a "whole" if you will. There are incredible moments of elegance, brutality, and a variety of different emotions created on this album which are primarily of a morbid/eerie nature.

Although there are 61 tracks on this album, "Death's Design" never gets tedious or boring in any way, shape, or form. I really don't have anything negative to say about this album. Time literally flies by when you are listening to this album. This album is a captivating work of art that reaches epic proportions. You will most likely be is a state of euphoria while listening and taking in this album.

i hate to do this.......2005-04-22

i really hate to do this because i love DM and katatonia. my ONLY problem with this album is how they split the songs up. call me stupid for being the first to not give it a five but i had a hard time getting into this album because it would change up so much. just when i was getting into a riff or a tune it wound end. even though all the music is very well done i would have enjoyed it more if it would be in basic song structure.

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

Recommended Music:

Test 11 [Import]

Concerto for Organ, String Orchestra & Percussion

Buxtehude: Complete Organ Works

Music: Open Sky

Come Again

Canadian Bacon & Hash Browns [Explicit Lyrics]

Cycles

Butterfly

Blues Indigo [Import]

Brandenburg Concerti / Orchestral Suites

Coke

Camela Oro (La Colleccion) [Enhanced] [Import]

Burnt up City [Explicit Lyrics]

Northern Skies, Southern Blues

Sensuous