US death metallers Council of the Fallen is ready with the successor to the excellent Revealing Damnation and they do not disappoint this time either. The band has undergone a few changes in line-up since the previous record. Drummer Derek Roddy has left the band in order to concentrate fully on Hate Eternal. He has been replaced by the seemingly all present Tim Yeung and furthermore the band has recruited Shawn Othani as second guitarist so the band is back as strong as ever.

Deciphering the Soul doesn't really sound that different from Revealing Damnation so there's not a lot of surprises here. To those unfamiliar with the band we're music wise dealing with a delicate blend of death and black metal which certainly gives the songs a somewhat unique feel. Sure merging death and black metal is not that unique in itself but if you take the qualities that Council of the Fallen obviously has then it becomes unique. All the songs are extremely varied and diverse so they never tend to bore the listener or sound alike. The entire album burst of odd breaks, slow and fast parts, beautifully harmonies, bass parts, acoustic parts. It's simply all here and one couldn't really ask for more. Furthermore the vocals vary from being deep growl to high pitched screams and clean vocals adding only positively to the overall impression of the album.

The production is pretty close to being perfect it's clear yet still thick and brutal. I guess it's not that odd 'cause Deciphering the Soul was recorded in Mana Studios in Tampa, Florida and engineered, mixed and mastered by Hate Eternal main man Erik Rutan. There's really nothing to point fingers at here. It all seems pretty flawless and honestly I'm having a hard time finding anything remotely negative about this release. With the release of Deciphering the Soul Council of the Fallen have put themselves in league with combos like Nile and Vital Remains. So if you like the aforementioned bands then don't hesitate to give this album a listen.