Foul Deformity - Disgust - 2024 - Inspired by a series of horrific real life events.

It was so refreshing to stumble onto this Brutal Death Metal group out of Las Vegas!  A three piece who describe their sound as a sonic force with elements from Old School Death Metal, Grindcore, Slamming Brutal Death Metal, Black Metal, Groove, and a hint of Jazz!  What a mouthful!  After multiple listens, I do think "Disgust" proves them correct!  

"Disgust" is only an EP, and is already guaranteed to end up in my best-of-the-year list for 2024. This will be hard to top.

The production on this, first of all, is just perfect.  Everything perfectly sitting in its own pocket in the mix.  Every instrument it still raw yet feels in your face with its own patterns and intricacies.  The vocals are some of my favorite I've ever heard; a blend of styles and techniques that may be hard to pick up on at first, but the subtlety IS master precision. The songwriting throughout is incredible, with many catchy parts and tempo changes.  The instruments, vocals included, seem to play off of each other for an amazing onslaught of creative brutality that keeps you guessing.

Alex Udar is in charge of percussion, and goes crazy with so many fills and techniques.  He grew up in Romania and started playing drums in 2009.  He has banged the drums for Sinful Serpent, Abominable Putridity, Submerged, to name a few.

On Guitar and Bass we have Bruno Macias, playing guitar since 2004 in bands like Guttural Secrete, Cerebral Incubation, and Abominable Putridity.  Also must be a fan of a lot of different styles to be writing and playing like this!

Last but not least we have these crazy fucking vocals!  Grunts and gurgles and predators all sound amazing on each track!  Nick Papageorgio has almost 20 years at working on his craft, and it shows.  The delicate enunciation while still keeping it so guttural can be witnessed when following along with the lyrics.  Check out lyric video for "(Null) Ubiquitous" below.  It features Jeremiah Jensen (Guttural Secrete).  I can't tell if the whole track is him or not, but it is still a prime example of the quality of talent on this release.

Speaking of lyrics, holy shit.  I love how dark yet beautifully written these are.  Feels like a radio-active spawning of a disgusting new life.  Extremely descriptive and gross and actually enunciated rather well throughout.  The cover art, which seems to be a hideous collage, compliments the music and the soundscapes/samples nicely.

I also have to give it up to the producer and mixer/masterer working behind the board here.  I can't find much about them, but damn this is nice.

Recorded by Randall James Thompson

Mastered by Rylie Ellen Wechta

With just 2 demos coming before this, I cannot wait for more from this 4 year old beast of a band!!!!

Check out all releases from Foul Deformity HERE

Desecation - Left To The Trogs - 2024

 Desecation first caught my attention for being so young while still pumping out such a mature sounding brutal death EP two years ago with self-titled "Desecation", which I briefly talked about HERE.

Since then, just following them on social media and their youtube presence, it is clear that they are young but taking this very serious and being themselves, not trying to change anything about what they bring to the table.  Being original with their sound.  

Also, they are surrounded by and playing shows with legends like Cephalotripsy, Disgorge, Vulnificus, Condemned and many more.

When they started to give previews and glimpses of this new album, I was beyond pumped, and now I get to sit down and listen.

Album artwork by legendary Jon Zig

"Left To The Trogs" opens with a disturbing sample that I recognized from a long time ago.  From a scene that definitely stays with you if you ever saw it.  It is from a Kurt Russell movie about 10 years ago, called "Bone Tomahawk."  A scene in which a man is help down and scalped and then held upside down and hawked in two.  It's just lovely! Check the scene out HERE.

The audio from this scene perfectly sets the tone for the next 20 minutes.  An unforgiving onslaught of raw, original BDM with each element of the music getting its proper showcase.  Production is clear yet perfectly raw. 

Guitars are a delightful mix of fuzzy and crunchy, musicianship is tight and steadily marching to and from heavy slams and catchy riffs.  The riffs seem slightly more technical here than on "Desecation".  Excited to watch how this young band keeps growing and progressing.    

Vocals throughout this album are diverse.  Nasty gargling gutturals with the occasional pig squealing and sometimes your basic death growl.  Every method done with confidence and a gravely delivery that sounds well-honed.   Drummer is crazy, detailed fills with a lot going on under the surface.

I have been paying attention to Desecation since I first found them.  A decent amount of live footage is already on youtube and they have that "thing."  They just feel like the complete package.  Hoping to catch them live soon.  Check out a video of the band performing at Angel Ochoa's (Cephalotripsy) Birthday party:

Most of their live videos show three members, and they are listed as a 3-piece band, but I believe this video is their full band line-up:

Todd Novoa - Guitars

Marc Novoa - Guitars, Vocals

Alex Sisko - Vocals

Nate Gonzalez - Drums, Vocals

Sam Little - Bass

Overall, I am LOVING this new offering from this young, still up-and-coming California band!

Will be spinning this allllll day!!

"Left To The Trogs" will be released January 23rd, 2024 via BrutalMind.

Check out "Inducing Cognitive Paralysis" from the album HERE

Celestial Bifurcation - Mephistophelian Dimension - DEMO 2023

 

Jumping right back into technical BDM with the slams to boot, Celestial Bifurcation is a two-piece out of Washington that is one of the recent signings of New Standard Elite, a record label that is quickly becoming THE home of new up-and-coming brutal slammy death metal.

The band's name roughly translates to being ripped in two in outer space.  This is actually a good description of the vibe here.  Please give this multiple listens, there is so much nuance and detail that these two dudes bring to the table, and it really excites me for a full-length release.

Not long after this demo, they put out a single through Inherited Production.

"Insufferable Telekinetic Disimpaction" boasts tighter playing from both musicians, a similar production value, and is a 3-minute foreshadowing of technical grooviness to come. Listen below:

Celestial Bifurcation

Max VanOver - Drums

Ryan Stern - Vocals, Bass, Guitar

Cerebral Incubation - Fermented Cranial Inebriating Fluids - EP 2021

 

It’s been awhile since Cerebral Incubation blessed us with some self-proclaimed “OG Caveman slam”.  While the term always seemed to fit, it is really driven home on this 13 minute, 5 song EP. Complete with a music video that features a caveman-esque bigfoot drinking, dancing, and taking shrooms with the whole band before slaughtering them all and drunkenly stumbling back into the woods. 

WATCH VIDEO HERE

Said video is for "Fermented Cranial Inebriating Fluids," the the title-track of the EP, which also features Angel Ochoa (Cephalotripsy, older Condemned) with some crazy guest vocals. The end of the song has vocalist Andrew Lomastro AND Angel Ochoa grunting and gurgling simultaneously for a disgusting dual-onslaught of the most brutal sort. 

Released via Fat Tub Of Lard / Brutal Mind

Cerebral Incubation have always been mixed heaviness, groove, and tight musicianship with a dark humor that fits just right.  From the artwork of their projects, the samples in the tracks, the song titles, right down to the font they choose on the covers.  It all makes me giggle, while still being incredibly groovy.

The question remains, are they working on more for us?!  One can dream......

Delusional Parasitosis - Ingurgitating Intestinal Rot - New Standard Elite 2014

Artwork by Daemorph ( Moscow, Russia)

This album was first planned to be released via Inherited Suffering Records. After some disagreements between the band and said label, Delusional Parasitosis left the label on their own will. Some months later, they signed on with New Standard Elite, a label that, quite frankly, fits them so much better. This is raw Brutal Death Metal with a progressive edge. This album seems to reveal new little pieces of itself upon every listen. I try to listen to anything that I'm going to review on multiple speaker setups. For example: my car, speakers in the echoey bathroom, the phone, and my usual favorite; a nice pair of headphones.
After an insane amount of listens to this 22 minute debut ( 5 of those minutes are two bonus tracks ), I have come to one simple conclusion. Ingurgitating Intestinal Rot is a must-have for anyone into Brutal Death Slammage.
Hailing from Michigan, maybe it's the constantly changing seasons that helps Delusional Parasitosis to keep things real. Honest songwriting, that's not out to shock just for the sake of shocking, or try to impress anyone, soon becomes shockingly impressive.
The one thing you'll hear that you'll either love or hate, is the use a crazy-fast double bass drum. I love it, it's one of the oddities to the album that pushes it forward and keeps it memorable. 

 The groove of the guitar riffs (Christopher Oess, Lee Mullis), mixed with what the drummer is doing, is insane.  Drummer Alex Mx is full of excellent surprises.
Vocalist James Shuster does what he does best here, every kind of extreme guttural vocal under the sun. His key? Solidity and consistency. Over the span of 20 minutes, you hear classic BDM vocals, pornogrindish gurgles and burps, predators, and definitely a few other disgusting noises, all done without falter. Vocal styles are tastefully changed to coincide with the pace and vibe of wherever the song may be.
Now, for the cult following of snare drums. 

The snare tone has become something of a real "Feather-In-The-Cap" of any brutal death metal recording nowadays, so I'll address it. *Clears Throat* On Ingurgitating Intestinal Rot, the tone of one of the drums, known as a 'snare', is very nice. How's that?

My one complaint may be a great thing to others, that double bass sounding so mechanical. I think that's probably what a lot of people will like most about this record. It definitely stands out, and it's growing on me.

Overall, this album has that one main quality that so many lack today; the element of surprise. The creativity of the writing here, matched with the artists' sheer talent and ability to bring fruition to those creations, allows for constant entertainment. An extremely groovy and addictive part is just around the bend in every song.

Dismorphic Transmutation would be a nice, short introduction to this band. It has a lot of that raw, untouched feel that we all love so much. What at first May sound like lackluster recording and production qualities will quickly prove to be a simple pleasure, coming across as clear and warm. Everything is at its perfect level.

Pick this album up!

New Standard Elite

Delusional Parasitosis

Parasitic Ejaculation - Echoes of Depravity - Amputated Vein Records - 2014

Artwork: TONY KOEHL

Echoes of Depravity is the second full-length from Californian outfit Parasitic Ejaculation.
The band has also released a considerable amount of material on splits or demos.
It seems as though every member of Parasitic Ejaculation has mastered their individual craft and, over time, have coalesced into a rather original brutal death/slam band, in a world that has been over-saturated with copies and copies of whatever people think sounds the most brutal.  Well, Echoes of Depravity not only provides soundscapes far beyond 'brutal', but it is a much-welcome retreat from the boredom that has become Brutal Death Metal.
I could sit here and write about how the subtle nuances of the guitar playfully frolic with the blasts and how I wished the bass was a little further forward in the mix.  In fact, I have written many a review in that ilk.  They are fun to write and you can easily get away with sounding like you are smart.  Truth is, I am as smart as the next genius, and I'll just say it like I hear it; Echoes of Depravity is the best and grossest splat of (infected) jizz from Parasitic Ejaculation thus far, and possibly of the year.
Jonathan Neel commands full attention and displays the most improvement from previous efforts.  The range of his vocals throughout this album is wide enough to have you wondering if it's all him even when it is.  There are a couple guest vocalists though.  Bill Foster (Short Bus Pile Up), and Jeremy Scott (Logistic Slaughter) both appear on the album, i just won't tell you where.

Michael Mostachetti's riffing on the guitar is simply the catchiest shit of 2014.  Parts of this album have some very, very experimental guitar work.  As always, one of my favorite aspects of this group, is the shaky, powerful bass tone coming from bassist Josh Schwartz.  It is also perfectly mixed in to let each stroke, pluck, or slap be heard with ease.  The dude has chops.  Donovan Dettle, drums, stays simple at times and then gets very creative at others, something becoming harder to find.  Nothing is out of place and songs flow very well together.
Production has taken an obvious step forward, which may lead some fans astray.  I mean, after-all, if you appreciate a band's production sound past their first release, you aren't raw.  You're fully-cooked.  What?
The clarity of the production here only aids the listener in hearing all the details in the music.
Also amazing are the lyrics!!  The lyrics are incredibly well thought-out, evil, disgusting, and just fun to read!  When you read along while listening, you really get to see how good this vocalist is.
That being said, I will take this time to tell the band to please rename "Parasitic Spinal Mutation" to "P.R.E.A.M."

Parts of Echoes are very technical, slams are prevalent, and the songwriting is creative and fun.
The passion is there.  Buy this album.

AMPUTATED VEIN RECORDS
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Lack Of Truth - Under The Torn Flesh - 2013 Death Metal Industry

Lack Of Truth is a Brutal Death Metal band from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, pumping out straightforward BDM with an old school style that is infectious and addictive. Under The Torn Flesh is their first full length, following a 2010 demo release entitled Graveyard of Fools. Graveyard of Fools contains three songs that also appear here on the full length, so this is a fine place to start. It is about 30 minutes of original, creative Brutal Death Metal that most brings to mind Disgorge making slow, passionate love to Defeated Sanity.  Before even hearing this, I was excited by the cover art. It just has that original old school feel. The art is done by Regurgitated Arts, operating out of Murmansk, Russia.

I have listened to this album many, many times and every time it seems to shine in different ways. I really like how it is recorded and mixed, particularly the bass. Valentin Khramtsov does an amazing job filling out the low end here with a super thick, shaky bass tone that can be perfectly heard without being overbearing. Guitarist Sergey Minaev shows his diverse riffing abilities with flawless transitions from fast, all over the neck riffs to slower, chugging, slams with pinch harmonics. The drums get a little tiring and at a couple specific times feel like they are struggling to keep up. Alexey Grigoriev is the man behind the set, and he can definitely drum. He has some creative fills and shows some subtle intricate blast and double bass work, not to mention that snare tone. Vocally, Under The Torn Flesh is a display of all natural, deep gutturals mixed with mid range squeals and a few chorus-esque parts where you can absolutely make out what is being said. What really stands out though are the vocal patterns. Vocalist Alexey Remizov is obviously passionate about what he is doing here. It is always nice to hear original and creative vocals and vocal patterns in a genre where that sort of thing is so overlooked. Everything's really tight and I like the raw production, specifically the raw drum sound.

Only complaint is the quickly fading endings to each song. For an album with such well written songs, it's a shame to break the flow of the whole thing with such a small mistake. The mistake is exactly that though, small. Definitely pick this up. It is really well put together with good song writing that will keep any BDM fan entertained. Any doubts I had about certain parts of the album upon first listens were shortly thereafter falsified.   After a few listens, every thing just falls into place and becomes very catchy. Brutal Death Metal needs more bands like this that are original and work hard in the riff department without just slamming your face off all the time. That's another story for another time, if you want only slams, it's out there in disgusting abundance. This is rare, innovate Brutal Death that will remind you of why you fell in love with it in the first place.

Derogation- Revival Of A Nest Ignorant - 2013 Permeated Records

Art by Regurgitated Arts

On September 30th, 2013, Derogation's "Revival Of A Nest Ignorant" will be unleashed upon the world.  For a release this short, it is really full of awesome and memorable parts.  I am a huge fan already.

Kiev, Ukraine's Derogation come at you with a riffing style similar to Defeated Sanity and a technical prowess that begs many listens; super technical sweeping and tapping parts that teeter on the edge of too much.  It's just really just good writing though.
Some of the all over the place riffs, the beginning of "Abhorrent Fornication" for example, takes me back to the old days when Decrepit Birth were still awesome and original.

Ex Defeated Sanity vocalist Jens Cannibaloki Staschel has found a wonderful new home in Derogation.  His familiar vocals do a really nice job of keeping things creative and disgusting.  The god behind the guitar is Vlad Melnik (Neurogenic, Back Door To Asylum), perfectly partnered up with bassist Alexander Chub (Hedonistic Exility).  The bass tone is wonderfully warm throughout and this guy can really play.  Lev Kurgansky (Ezophagothomia) hold things down behind the drums with blasts and tight fills that ensure to keep your attention.  

You get 5 tracks in total.  The last song is a cover and the second to last is just atmospheric noise.  When all is said and done you end up with around 10 minutes of original material from Derogation, but it's the most technically proficient brutal death metal I've heard in a very long time.

My only complaint is the length of this album.  We can only hope there is much more of this on the way, and soon!

For fans of Defeated Sanity, Decrepit Birth, or Disgorge

REGURGITATED ARTS

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DEROGATION

Kraanium - Post Mortal Coital Fixation - 2012 Comatose Music

I remember in THIS interview I did with Martin, he talked about how lucky the band was with basically unlimited studio time. Well it really shines through. This album sounds amazing! It is obvious everyone took there time and was precise and that Colin Davis (IMPERIAL MASTERING) put hours and hours of hard work into mastering this. Such extreme attention to detail is very appreciated, especially in this genre of music where so much can easily go unheard or unnoticed.   You will have no problem listening to this!  It is pleasant on the ears in every way.  Great musicianship meets suburb recording and mastering!

band photo taken by Martin Tonning-Strand

If you have not picked up on this yet, I love this album. “Post Mortal Coital Fixation" has impressed me beyond expectations. It had me smiling and bobbing my head the whole way through. I really enjoy writing reviews and posting them to this stupid blog, but sometimes I lack the motivation to write about records that do not stand out. This is not the easiest style of music to play while still being original and maintain a unique sound. Kraanium have done just that, making a great brutal, slamming, groovy, disgusting album while hanging on to their signature sounds and enhancing them in all the right places. Made for an easy and enjoyable review!

"Post Mortal Fixation" kicks things of with a beefy, simple, perfectly brutal instrumental track and is the perfect warm up and foreshadowing to what you are getting yourself into. What comes next is a “Stillborn Necrotic Fuck Feast" and it is delicious. It features massive servings of that perfect attention to detail I was talking about with a few pinches of groove. Martins vocals have improved by miles and I love them on this album. Vocalists do not get to these levels without putting in hard work and dedication and he is taking this very seriously. The end of this song is like a gradual buildup to nothing, which is actually quite satisfying due to the drums and subtle changes of pace and dynamic.

"Bursting Rectal Sores" uses repetition and simple changes. Catchy riffs are counter acted by something so different yet so fitting. Creativity flows freely here, like ooze from a rectal sore. I love the blasty parts with the drums and the fills. Also notable are the spots where the drums have a more minimal and tasteful approach, complimenting but not overbearing. Martin gets to show off his range here, something that is so gross and powerful that it reminds us that vocals can be such an effective instrument. “Compulsive Mutilation Disorder" starts with possibly the best sample ever and is luckily followed my an equally awesome three minutes. The pings and punches and pops and splashes and whatever other words you might use for these drum sounds, are perfect. The steady snare backbone keeps you bouncing along while everything else floats above. “Slurping The Vaginal Pus" is where I fully noticed the amazingly warm bass tone on this album. Straightforward chugging riffs mixed with melodic tremolo riffs lead up to around the 2 minute mark where everything melts into a gorgeous, swaying slam punctuated by splashing drums and disgusting vocals.

"Crack Whore Pounding" has a non stop chugging, pounding feel only to slowly bash your skull in before “Coprophagial Asphyxiation" fades in and brings you back to that familiar Kraanium sound, full of drum fills and pounding, repetitive riffs that are basically predictable but oh so satisfying. Has a sound around the 1:30 mark that I cannot figure out. Anyone? It doesn’t add much but it doesn’t take away either. Everything here is great and it speeds up for just a moment before one last return to this songs catchy riff.

The band released “Slammed Kranial Remains" via youtube as a sort of single before anything else was released. Smart move; in the midst of these tunes this one is actually quite amazing. I mean we all already thought so, but this track is way better surrounded by all of it’s ugly siblings rather than part of a diverse youtube playlist.

"Sculptures of Perverse Suffering" showcases the brilliance of having two guitarists and creating atmosphere. Very creative songwriting. These drums are awesome and I think everyone will love the snare sound on this album. Martins vocals remind me at times of Angel Ochoa’s earlier works.

The last two songs ( before the actual last song, an Abominable Putridity cover) sort of seem like they should be one. The brilliantly named “Baptized in Boiling Sewage" is a simple, short, catchy song that leaves me wanting more anyway. Then it perfectly fades into “Orgy of Cannibalistic Fornication", which starts with a woman screaming and a guitar in the background is playing a riff that sounds way too close to the one in “Baptized". These two songs make for one really good one with a sample in the middle.

Overall, this is easily Kraanium’s best release to date, and will be one of my favorites of the year. Go order it here:

COMATOSE MUSIC

Condemned - Realms of The Ungodly - 2011 Unique Leader Records

San Diego, California's  Condemned is back with an amazing album. It has already received tons of praise and I am about to give it more.

 The first eerie, ambient track, ‘Eirgmos.. Adious..’ has a fittingly epic feel to accompany Condemned’s long awaited return. It feels evil. With ‘Ere The Dark Sovereign’- vocalist Angel Ochoa immediately proves he is back and has somehow gotten even better with his unexplainable and awesome ability to enunciate his gutturals so well. 

Cool, interesting stop and go sort of riffs throughout this track set the mood for whole album with a new style for Condemned. They are each writing great parts and taking it very seriously. Great parts, great songs. The quality of this recording is miles from “Desecrate the Vile".   It’s also better than most brutal death metal these days. It is mixed so very well. I suggest headphones for a truly amazing experience.

‘Baptismal Incineration Upon Simonists’ - Bass, drums and the guitar all flawlessly flow into and through this track, moving as a fast, disgusting, brutal creature kept under control and taking cues from the vocals.   At 1:30 Obie Flett graces us with his vocals.    Most albums with guest vocal spots in this genre do a horrible job in my opinion, either the vocalists are just too far apart in style or you literally can not hear the difference.  Realms, however, does an awesome job with both guest vocals.  Each one is audibly different from Condemned's Angel Ochoa but beautifully within the styling of the track, becoming more of a pleasant and impressive punctuation rather than a distraction.

‘Catharsis of Human Impurity’ is a nonstop assault of quick guitar riffs and perfectly placed, groovy harmonics. A prime example of Angel’s range can be heard at 1:25.

 ‘Embodied in Elms of Eternal Misery’ has an awesome dissonant strummed chord that keeps returning and the drums are just off the wall creative. The guitars start a descending melodic riff that leads to my favorite outro thus far.
‘Realms of The Ungodly’ is a favorite track for me.  Condemned are more brutal on this album while keeping their slow parts more creative and somehow everything sounds more original.  This album has the feel of a passionate, fresh debut of a brand new band.  Starts by pounding you into the ground and then slows down and helps you up with a great groovy breakdown.  A guitar solo then seems to come out of nowhere, with a very slippery feel accompanied by amazing drumming.  The very last vocal part of this track is exactly why this vocalist is looked up to by just about everyone.  It sounds as though his throat really is a toilet.  A toilet…with words instead of turds.

‘Forged Within Lecherous Offerings’ hit us hard with some welcome, more straightforward, slammy riffs and longer single note melodies give this song a good old Condemned feel. 

‘Divine Order of Babylon’ has outstanding drums and a steady pounding feel that ends quite suddenly.  ‘Manipulated For Servitude’ is an impressive display of creative songwriting with the way the guitar is playing with/within the drums, which are very innovative and are peppered with snares and cymbal crashes, at times reminding me of Cephalic Carnage.  Everything is so perfectly balanced that even if this song were not brilliantly written, you'd be hard pressed to complain.
‘Submerged Unto Phlegethon’- I love the fact that I can actually follow along with the lyrics, which are, by the way, really great and should be paid attention to just as much as the music,  for they are part of it.   By far one of my favorites on this record. It is also the longest song, at five and a half minutes and the last two minutes or so are just as epic as everything else seemed to foreshadow.  Perfect ending to this masterpiece!

Please listen with headphones and follow along with the lyrics.
The music is amazing, the art is amazing, the lyrics are amazing. Now I just need it on vinyl!

PURCHASE THE ALBUM HERE

ZIG

TONY KOEHL