The guitar leads to these songs have that certain something that grab you immediately and demand your attention. Just take one listen to opening song “Doctor X” for a prime example. The riffs throughout the whole album are pretty awesome in fact, being catchy and devastating at the same time. The rhythm section is pummeling but also contains just the right touch of melody. The other thing that makes this album such a beast is the ferocious drumming. At times I found myself just focusing in on the drumming (blast beats and double bass…yeah!!!) and nothing else, this happening because it is this driving force behind many of these songs. The performance put in by session drummer Dirk Verbeuren is first rate and will leave you awestruck. While the drums and riffs may be what make this album what it is, the guitar solos are also excellent, and the growls, while not extraordinary, get the job done. Mostly though, Occult Medicine is crafted in a way that really maintains your attention by varying a mix of tempo changes, sound bytes, and even occasional clean vocals. A certain degree of both creativity and versatility are shown on this album and that is to be commended. How many times have you found yourself enjoying a death metal album only to grow tired of the monotony? Well Occult Medicine does its best to remedy that painful syndrome. While each song offers something different, none of them stray to far from the task at hand. Picking the top tracks is a difficult task given just how satisfying this album is. The fact of the matter is that all of the songs pretty much kill, but the song “Revenant Horde” absolutely crushes! The little outro section is simply goddamn infectious. Bottom line here: If you missed this one back in 2004, do yourself a favor and check it out.

written by Joe Grammatico

Playing time: 46.23