Come all ye freaks!!! Hello and welcome to 2016, this is the first batch of sick bands and releases I’ve been able to dig up in this most scarce time of the year… but it’s looking like we’re off to a pretty good start if I do say so myself. This is also only the second time I’ve conducted my column from tour, which is proving challenging, at least on the current TBDM/Benighted tour in Europe. Thanks for your constant readership and for reaching out to the bands I present, a lot of them have reached out and thanked me, so I know you are doing your part to pick up the releases as well, and I think that’s cool as fuck! Enjoy the tunes, check out the bands and get connected with the underground all around us!
Aborted – Termination Redux
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4_PFC-Vd6I
Belgium’s gore fueled stalwarts Aborted are back with a new 10 inch celebrating their 20th year as a band; chock full of muscular for-the-throat brutal technical death metal that shows why they are the kings of this particular style. I personally think they’ve been back in Goremaggedon-worthy shape since they dropped the Coronary Reconstruction ep in 2010. Since then they’ve been on a non-stop streak of grisly perfection, churning out meaty tunes that are catchy, well-written and downright fucking mean. Sven is still at the top of his game… his voice is instantly recognizable… he has immense power behind what he does. This is top notch, well produced brutal death the way only Aborted can bring it… pick up the vinyl (with digital download) here.
Atrocious Abnormality – Formed In Disgust
Finally! After eyeball fucking this sick Marco Hasmann artwork for what seems like a year the sophomore album of North Carolina’s own Atrocious Abnormality has at long last emerged and is set for release in March. It’s been a long time since Echoes Of The Rotting, and I assure you the years have been kind to Atrocious Abnormality, they sound like the same band you loved but better than ever! The intro is raging… as good as any I’ve heard… it really sets the listener up for the barrage of brutality they are about to endure. The band is brutal, technical and absolutely crushing without falling into the often boring realm of slam… this is Brutal Death metal with that awesome golden era (early 2000’s) sound that would fit snuggly on your shelf next to the works of Severed Savior. Sick Cannibal Corpse style tremolo parts, teched-out transitions… It’s pretty impressive how full this three piece sounds… they absolutely own their instruments. I’m sure brutallers the world over are going to gobble this shit right up with a smile. For those unfamiliar, Atrocious Abnormality is headed by Comatose records head Steve Green (on guitar and vocals), who is also a member of Lust of Decay along with drummer Brent Williams. Check out the song and pre-order this bad larry now.
Brutality – Sea of Ignorance
Sweeet!!! Old school Floridian dynamos Brutality are back! Scott Reigel sounds just as ferocious as ever… his voice is powerful and still very recognizable… somewhere between Deicide’s Glenn Benton and Bolt Thrower’s Karl Willets. I find the cover to be somewhat of a turn off, I would have preferred something old school and painted rather than this tired looking graphic design. Overall though, this is a pretty good reunion album… I’m sure longtime fans will be pleased. Pick it up here.
Chthe'ilist – Le Dernier Crépuscule
Do you know who 24 year old French Canadian guitar prodigy Philippe "Pat" Tougas is? You’re about to! Pat is the head of the lovecraftian leviathan Chthe’ilist- a chasmous, warped, Finnish death metal worshipping ensemble who in spite of their young age, show an incredible understanding of the ancient ways of diseased old school death metal with a particular focus on twisted Demilich and Adramelech style sickness. Add a dash of influence from overlooked sons of weirdness Timeghoul, and you’re on the right track. The vocals are repulsive… downright frightening in their alien-ness, and the labyrinthine music follows suit, dragging the listener screaming into the abyssal unknown. Of all the Cthulhu worship that has taken place in extreme metal, these cats do it infinitely better… it’s as scary and unearthly as it needs to be. The production is very dark and murky, recalling the days when Lethal Records was all the rage… it’s the perfect sound for this wretched troop. I should also make a point to mention the last song “Tales of the Majora Mythos Part 1”, a thirteen and a half minute tribute to the music of Zelda game Majora’s Mask. I’m not particularly familiar with the soundtrack myself, but I find the idea to incorporate it into a death metal song quite fresh… I’m sure some of you geeks out there with triforce tattoos will shit a brick. The material here nothing short of outstanding, I’ve been waiting for this to surface ever since hearing 2012’s unpronounceable Amechth'ntaas'm'rriachth demo and it has delivered in spades. This album WILL be on your top ten list of 2016, and you SHOULD check out all of Pat’s other projects (First Fragment, Zealotry, Serocs, and Vengeful, who Pat sadly exited in 2014). Hurry now while their’s still room on Tougas’ jock, I’ve been firmly planted on a lawn chair here for years awaiting his every move. Pick it up here.
Dragging Entrails – Penetrating Her Syphilic Cadaver
Somehow, these guys got even slower and more grimy… this is filthy! The cover is out of this world too… this is the new bar of how gross it can get… yikes. For those new to Dragging Entrails, they are something of a slam supergroup featuring slam twins Mats and Marten Funderud (Kraanium, Fermented Masturbation) as well as members of Nephrectomy and Parasitic Ejaculation. As you should expect by now, just having the twins aboard means this is going to be excellent top notch slammage of the highest order… Dragging Entrails are the slowest, lowest and most depraved thing going at this very moment. Look at the cover, throw up, and then press play. Germany’s Morbid Generation records is vomiting this offering forth this March! Don’t miss it!
Genethliac – Vicissitude
Wikitionary defines a Genethliac as someone who casts horoscopes… I personally define those people as assholes. Not the toughest band name in the world, but it’s better than Corpse Cook I guess. These young upstarts bring forth a pretty cool brand of spastic sounding grindy/brutal guttural death from Salinas, California that will appeal to fans of Truculency, Atrocious Abnormality, or Medecophobic. These guys are unsigned at the moment but I could see them on Comatose or Sevared, no problem. Vocalist Anthony Gervin sounds like a real butthole, and if you know anything about me by now it’s that I’m a sucker for butthole vocals. The kick trigger choice sounds a little funny, reminds me of the one from Vader’s Litany… like something you’d hear in electronic music. I do like they kept the drums unedited… it’s obvious that they played everything here rather than piecing it together in protools. Peep the song and buy one of the limited physical copies now!
Gorepot – In Pot We Trust
Taiwan’s sons of stoned are back with another tongue in cheek brutal riot sure to entertain all tokers everywhere… In Pot We Trust!!!! Featuring Larry Wang who has made a name for himself in both Maggot Colony and international space slammers Coprocephalic… Gorepot is a fun filled ride to the depths of depravity. I am not usually much for comedy in my death metal, but these guys do it well and never sacrifice the brutality for the sake of a few chuckles. There are a lot of funny sample bits interwoven within the music in that clever way we’ve seen from one man killing machine Syphilic, helping to break up the monotony of sheer insanity. I find it interesting that weed centric bands like Cannibies and Gorepot come from places where marijuana is so illegal and so scarce… I’m talking lethal injection illegal. I wish Larry and his brethren the sickest nugs… Smoke on, Gorepot! More info here.
Fulci – Opening The Hell Gates
Lucio Fulci was a famous Italian gore movie director, responsible for such greats as The Beyond, City of The Living Dead and Zombie… this was a great idea for theme of a band. I dig the fuck out of these guys… a pleasant surprise all around. They slam but there is a dash of old school sensibility to them… they know how to write a song and create some drama when it’s needed. It’s really catchy, really well performed brutal death that reminds somewhat of more slamtastic Abhorrent Deformity for lack of a better comparison. Big ass grooves, churning breakdowns, shouted gang vocals and classic horror movie samples propel Fulci high up on the heap of the overdone slam genre. There are some semi-humorous rap type vocals in one song that kinda stuck out in a bad way, but we’ll forgive them this time. More info here.
Funeral Whore – Phantasm
https://soundcloud.com/fda-rekotz/funeral-whore-phantasm
Funeral Whore… it rolls right off the tongue. Great name, in my book. I only became privy to their last album, 2012’s Step Into Damnation semi-recently, so it was cool to see that they not only had a new record in the pipes, but one that’s a loving tribute to The Tall Man of Phantasm fame, Angus Scrimm, who recently passed away. Phantasm and HM-2 buzzing Swedish style death metal go hand in hand in a beautiful way… their marriage is almost as old as the genre itself, as you’ll remember Entombed incorporated a piece of Phantasm’s theme into their epic song “Left Hand Path” to great effect. You’ll recognize that very theme again here in title track “Phantasm”, and part of it seems paraphrased from Entombed’s version, it’s kinda cool actually… a surely loving tribute of sorts. If you like Torturerama, Morbid Vomit, or Bloodbath, give these guys (and gal) a whirl… out March 18 on FDA Rekotz.
Intracranial Parasite – Deviations Period of Inhumane
Holy crap have I been anticipating this. The preview song was too good, the art is killer and gives me mucho Parallels of Infinite Torture vibes, which is fun. I’m all aboard! Speaking of Disgorge, these deadly young Indonesians are raging in the style of the legends last two albums, perhaps stripped down a notch… the riffing is slightly more digestable… sometimes reminding me of the first Condemned disc. It’s got a really nice sound, natural and heavy, and punishingly churns out Suffocation style breakdowns that’ll have the pit doing that goofy ass slam tomahawk dance in rejoice. The whole package comes off as a little more stylistic, varied and American sounding that a lot of the Indo Disgorge clones… its fairly well written, high quality stuff. I think fans of Delusional Parasitosis as well as lovers of the current wave of Indonesian brutality will find a lot to like here. I need a shirt with this album cover on it like yesterday… I’d be the bell of the ball. More info here.
Korpse – Unethical
Awesome! Disgusting Dutch slam masters Korpse (featuring the red Afro donning drummer of Cliteater Marten van Kruijssen) have returned with their second album, Unethical. Their first self-titled album made some decent waves in the slam world and I’m sure wiggers everywhere are waiting for this one to drop and for the pitting to resume. I simply cannot go any further without addressing the shameful artwork. It looks like some shit Jungle Rot would have turned down about 15 years ago, certainly nothing that can compare to the modern standard. Whatever man, don’t let it stop you, the blood thirsty consumer, from letting Korpse and Rising Nemesis records slam their way into your heart on March 18th… this stuff is sincerely sick! More info here.
Murder Made God – Enslaved
Wow this is outstanding. Nice artwork by Colin Marks, too. This is exactly what I expect from death metal in 2016… Technical, sharp cutting edge brutality! Greek slayers Murder Made God play a crushing brand of technically inclined brutal death and feature ex-members of slam troop Human Rejection, who they have absolutely left in the dust here. The production is perfect but not blatantly fake… you can tell that Murder Made God indeed have the chops they claim to possess and utilize them with aplomb. There are some cool forward thinking ideas employed on Enslaved that help separate them from the pack by adding some needed variety and color to the music. I think fans of Hour Of Penance, Bloodtruth, Soreption or Mass Infection will feel this in a major way. Dropping April 15th on the mighty Comatose music! Preorder should be up soon here.
Nature Depravity – Ripping, Mangling The Fresh Cadaver
Nature Depravity… another broken English funny band name and yet another sick fucking band from Indonesia. Lord knows I love my Disgorge worshippers, and these young Indonesians must clutch the Californian god’s catalog very close to their hearts. This is technically a demo, but with pro packaging and pro sound you could have very well fooled me aside from it’s brief 3 song length. I’ve got to hand it to Dismembered Records, between these guys, Reduced, Diffusal Blade and Sabaoth they are quickly assembling an awesomely devastating line up. I eagerly await a full-length outing from these guys. Get into it!
Paediatrition – Pregnant Pathology
Absolutely fucking depraved death grind here that will sate the sickest comers…. think in the neighborhood of Bowel Stew, Goreinhaled, Jig-Ai and Squash Bowels and you'll be in the right toilet stall. These Hungarian ghouls will rip your face off with 19 nonstop tracks of energetic goregrinding madness and flush it down the porcelain god, laughing all the while. The drums and vocals on this slab are just relentless. Out now on Germany’s Rotten Roll Rex.
Possessed Entity – Extermination of Angelic Parasites
Damn, these guys are pretty good! The vocals have a crazy demonic slightly pitch shifted sound that takes me back to death metals early experimental days… when the motto was anything for the sake of brutality, darkness and evil. Comparisons could be drawn to the vocals by Glenn Benton on the early Amon demos. Musically early-to-mid nineties classics like Pyrexia, Scattered Remnants, Fleshgrind and Insatanity come to mind… it’s kinda sloppy, messy and really captures a particular clunky old school atmosphere that is rarely heard anymore. This won’t be for everyone, but those longing for more Death that would be at home on the long defunct Wild Rags records will be into this. Out now on Pathos Productions.
Rotten Vomit – Fermented Corpse in the Church Basement
Goddamn, this is a sick one! Rotten Vomit is an international slamming death powerhouse with members hailing from both Venezuela and the United States. The recording is really good and clear and there is a good variety to the songs… I love the idea of using a flanger in the fourth track “Transmission of Internal Parasites”, never heard that in a slam song before this one. The vocals by Venezuelan Junior Patiñoare (Vorarephilia, Human Crop Circle) are out of control sick, just completely guttural REEEE REEEEE nastiness… not a single discernable lyric to he heard and I love every second of it. If you can dig Kraanium, Epicardiectomy and the other big names of slam, give these guys a shot, they deserve to be heard.
Spice Mutated Corpse – Attempts To Death
I have to admit I've been really excited to get my hands on this one ever since getting a load of their bizarre Dune influenced name and wretched brand of Russian brutality of their youtube preview song. Spice Mutated Corpse do indeed slam but they are on the weirder side of things (experimental psy-slam freaks 7 H. Target come to mind at times). The slow slightly dischordant breakdowns remind me of Enmity… shit is positively nutty… It's really good to hear that unhinged sound again…. so immensely heavy! There's a lot of 808 hits and weird effects over the slam parts that'll keep you on your toes and make your Bose speakers or headphones go BOOM! A little more bass guitar overall would have gone a long way… It's seems like there is some negative space in the mix… but really this isn’t bad for a two man protools project. These guys look really young and to that I say the younger the better… it is easy to hear the enthusiasm for what they are doing… it’s fun, damnit! I'm all for new bands and new enthusiasm for all things brutal from all corners of the earth! More info here.
Wormhole – Genesis
Goddamn man, this band has been taking over my airwaves… and there’s only 2 friggin songs available so far and no release date as of yet for the impending beast of an album Genesis to surface. AAAAAUUUGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!! I was instantly drawn to the artwork and the name, which I can’t help but associated with Wormed, although this international band hailing from Falkirk, Scotland / Port Elizabeth, South Africa and Baltimore, Maryland is something else entirely. These guys do have a similar sci-fi flair, but Wormhole hail from the slammy side of the tracks… a bit more like Corprocephalic; really chunky, meaty stuff here. From second one “Nurtured In A Poisoned Womb” just tears the listeners head off, it’s bulldozing modern brutal death metal from start to finish. The other available track, “Existence Gap” is gnarly as well, slamming early and slamming often and then busting into a highly melodic and progressive passage toward the end. The dual vocals are sick as shit, featuring gutturals by both Duncan Bentley of South Africa’s Vulvodynia and Calum Forrest of Scotland’s Operation Cunt Destroyer and Engorging The Autopsy. There is a slight deathcore touch to Wormhole at times, purists be warned, but I think a good lot of brutal heads will find the material more than acceptable. Stop by their bandcamp and pick up high quality versions of the singles now and join me in chomping at the bit until I can wrap my booger pickers around a physical manifestation of Genesis! More info here.
Writing Mass – Human Capital
Fucking pissed real ass grindcore with a fine pedigree of players (Triac/A.S.R.A./Defeatist) that will appeal to fans of Assuck, Excruciating Terror, Cellgraft and Internal Rot. The deep vocals are grimy as fuck and the highs are flesh rending… the whole thing is very unnerving, as it should be. There are some cool Assuck-like dirgey parts throughout Human Capital that I don’t really hear any other modern bands doing out there. Nerve Altar are always on top of the sickest in grind, it would do you well to keep an eye out for them… follow their bandcamp. Grab the ep now on a donation basis or order the vinyl for your collection… these sickos rip hard! More info here.
That’s all she wrote this time, lunatics! Keep spreading the word about The Obituarist and keep your fingers on the pulse of the underground! Stay sick until next time!
