Describing themselves as Malaysian Military Death Metal, Humiliation have made a decent name for themselves in the Malaysian scene, resulting in a number of higher profile shows in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, as well as multiple trips to Europe. I was lucky enough to discover them through a friend who had seen them perform at Metal Camp Kuala Lumpur, a higher profile show, which led me to see them at a show supporting Sadistic Intent (who never showed, leaving Humiliation as the headliners).

With influences primarily from Benediction and Bolt Thrower it would be pretty fair to label them a Bolt Thrower worship band. Encompassing the same lyrical themes and sound this makes them a good bet for me; a lover of Bolt Thrower and someone keen to discover bands with similar sounds. And this CD, despite all of its flaws, somehow works.

It’s surprising how well “Turbulence From The Deep” holds up; whilst obviously being worlds away from Bolt Thrower, it is still an extremely polished Death Metal record that many would doubt an underground Malaysian band could do. Moving away from their fast-tempo frenzied attack demonstrated previously, this album has more of a focus on mid-tempo heaviness. Such progression, however, stops short of them creating a unique sound; instead meaning they sound like Bolt Thrower do when Bolt Thrower play mid-tempo, rather than coming into a sound that is necessarily their own.

There are further flaws to the album; aspects missing that prevent them from breaking out of the underground. The recording lacks a lot of depth that Death Metal needs, leaving the CD sounding just a little bit hollow. Competence, too, is lacking; whilst the guitar sound is sludgy as required to create the sound of their influences, the band occasionally lacks the technicality, meaning they don’t come into their own and the tracks can get monotonous with repeated listens. The vocals will be perhaps the biggest issue for listeners, especially English speaking, as pronunciation is weak; but furthermore the technique is lacking and they’re hard to escape being so high in the mix.

So, coming from a site which focuses on positive reviews this one reads weirdly, being mostly negative. The thing is I still really enjoy the album; I can appreciate it despite its flaws which I feel are important to point out so people don’t go into it expecting too much. The atmosphere is still there, and for a band trying to impersonate one of the most consistent Death Metal bands of all time, they don’t do too badly at all. They’re an example of some of the variety that comes from this region, a band that despite hardships and a less friendly metal atmosphere still creates an album that oozes with passion. Don’t look to the America’s and Europe for all of your Metal needs; there’s some class acts in this region too.