Charlie Christ. I can't help but chuckle at that name. I have a feeling the band came up with that name at the last minute. Anyway, Charlie Christ was a death metal band from California, I believe. I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, they released only one full-length album called Symphonies of Blasphemy before splitting up. Also, fun fact: the guitars and vocals on this album were performed by Erik Lindmark, who later went on to form Deeds of Flesh.
When I pushed play, I never anticipated just how much metal was on this album. I guess I should begin with the vocals. Since Erik performed these vocals when he was younger, they're not as deep as his work in Deeds of Flesh, but they're still great. They sort of sound like a mix of David Vincent and John Tardy. The performance is evil and nasty in equal amounts, especially when he performs his signature screams. The guitars have that dark, chunky old school sound we all know and love. The riffage is pretty simple compared to Deeds of Flesh, but they remain infectious all the same. I especially love Erik's solos. They howl and swirl through the blackness of night, and their sound and structure has this profound James Murphy influence.
My only problem was with the drums. Don't get me wrong, the skill they display is amazing, but my problem is that they're way too prominent in the mix and tend to drown out the other elements. I think they should have put more time into evening out the mix. Other than that, this was an awesome album full of sweet, infectious riffs and great vocals. I don't care if the band is called Charlie Christ. They could have called themselves Sweetie Belle's Marshmallow Butthole and I would have still thought their music was awesome.
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