Extermination Dismemberment - Serial Urbicide - 2013 Amputated Vein Records

Urbicide: The killing of an urbanized society.

Extermination Dismemberment is a 4 piece Brutal Slamming Death Metal outfit from Belarus, Minsk.  I would describe them as Abominable Putridity worship, with one main difference.  Production.  In some places, too much.   Especially those bass drops.  If you don’t know what I mean, they sometimes occur in really bad techno music, or old deathcore.   Some people refer to them as nuclear bombs or nuclear bass drops or something.   However, I have never heard them used to quite the extent they are used on Serial Urbicide.  Thankfully, After many listens, I am glad to say that these bassy bottom-outs add to the album, further punctuating and exaggerating the humongous slams. 

Extermination Dismemberment got lucky though.  I hope this doesn’t start a trend, because this album already took it as far as it should go.  I mean take the title track, “Serial Urbicide” for example, where these things actually overpower the rest of the production for several seconds after they occur.  I realize that is probably the whole point, but it verges on cheesy.

Serial Urbicide, being basically a slam only album, is way too long. It starts to wear on you. You are in store for slow build ups to even slower and crazier slams, not much filler to be heard. “Survival” however, is a song slightly different from the rest in that it features a different vocal style and a different vibe altogether. A sort of pumping, marching riff style.

Besides a few production complaints and the album being too long, this album is really quite good.... for slam lovers.  Do not expect brutal death metal riffs or blasts.   Expect creative ways of getting your head slammed in.  Creative guitar and drums collide with decent gutturals to create a non stop, groove oriented, slam only record.

The creative song structures and drum fills make this “slam only” album a fun, brutal, groovy head bobber.

Pick it up here:

DIGITAL
CD

Orgiastic Rebirth- Corridors of Repugnant Suffering - 2013 Ungodly Ruins

Artwork by MOTTLA

New Zealand's Orgiastic Rebirth are out to impress with their debut, Corridors of Repugnant Suffering, and impress they shall. Though not an instant classic, it is a wonderful slab of originality, providing outstanding diversity in song writing and structure. The band takes elements of old school death metal, brutal death metal, and throws in a dash of doom, creating a rather engrossing listening experience.
When I first saw the name and album cover, I expected another slam clone.  I was staidly mistaken.
Take the vocal stylings of Hooded Menace and mix them with a guttural monster and you'll start to hear something similar to what these two vocalists have created.   Yes, two vocalists, Mastie who also plays bass, and Yarn, who also plays guitar.  After a few listens, you'll be addicted to these old school horror death/brutal death vocals.  Corridors of Repugnant Suffering has a very old school death vibe.
The drums are programmed and have a simplistic, sort of Mortician feeling to them.
The song Substance Induced Psychosis Envoking Mass Perverse Cannibalistic Execution Rituals not only has a long name, but it is the longest track and is basically a doom ballad, employing slow, catchy repeated riffs over dialogue. It actually sounds a lot like Japanese doom outfit Church of Misery.

Some other sections on the album feature writing that boasts straight forward slam, old Devourment style.   Mastie does a really awesome job keeping the loud, shaky bass out in equal reverence to the guitars.  The programmed drumming seems simple, but it really fits what they are doing here, which I guess is blackened death doom slam.  The band has given me their word that the next album with feature real drums.

As much as I really dig these low slow raw gutturals, sadly, Orgiastic Rebirth have since announced they are now searching for a new full time vocalist.
If you are into Old School Death Metal, Death Metal, or Brutal Death Metal, please check this out! It also features covers of classic Death and Mortician songs.




Order Corridors of Repugnant Suffering HERE

Parasitic Ejaculation- Rationing the Sacred Human Remains - 2013 Ghastly Music

Artwork by Votd Art, out of Indonesia

Santa Cruz, California's Parasitic Ejaculation are here to infect us all....... with their semen.  I never thought it could burn so good!  Combining hard hitting slams with technically proficient riffs that turn on a dime, the band's debut does not get boring.

The band has been around for a couple of years, releasing two demos, however, neither of which were quite as powerful as the complete package that is Rationing the Sacred Human Remains.  It features that raw feeling that I haven't felt since The Gurchick Tree, only with enough clarity to hear everything that is going on.  The songwriting on the album is very complex and unpredictable, employing tempo changes and pinch harmonics out of nowhere.

Another prominent aspect of this album are the vocals.  Jonathan Neel has a couple different techniques used here, one is more bree bree and reminds me a bit of Human Mastication, The other is a phlegmy, deep guttural, think Engorgement.  They are equally used and always impressive.
Bassist Josh Schwartz provides a thick, powerful low end throughout.  He also plays some very memorable and audible riffs.  Perhaps most at the forefront of this record are drummer Donovan Dettle and guitarist Mike Mostachetti.  Together, the 25 minutes of creativity flow through them as if it were simple to write catchy, memorable, fun music for people to grunt over.  Well, they've done it.

The whole album feels well put together and unfolds like a well written novel.  There is a classic toungue-in-cheek vibe here, largely due to some of the samples used.  Remember Short Bus Pile Up's album Repulsive Display of Human Upholstery?  (If you don't, stop reading now)  That is the vibe I am talking about, a totally addicting, evil yet fun feeling.  Speaking of Short Bus Pile Up, Vocalist Tyler Sharpes makes an appearance on this album, as well as Logistic Slaughter's Andrew Smith and Zack Shaw, who is Phalloplatsy.

Either we have slippery, sliding guitar riffs or brutal slams.  Everything is here and everything fits.  The individual songs are catchy and creative.  Exuding Degenerative Cadavers is one of my favorites; endless groove complimented by steady, disgusting gutturals.

This 25 minute album is a very impressive debut full length for Parasitic Ejaculation that will be a hard one to top. I cannot wait to hear what's next!

Order this album HERE

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

Kraanium Interview 2012

I am very pleased that Martin Funderud, vocalist for Norwegian band Kraanium, took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for me in the below interview:

Cerebral Reviewment-  Thank you Martin for setting aside the time to talk with me!!  I am a long time Kraanium fan and am very excited for your upcoming full length “Post Mortal Coital Fixation”!  Could you give people who don’t know a quick history of Kraanium and what you guys do?

Martin-
  Yeah man no problem! We started up (again) back in 2006 after the band had been broken up for some years.
But we mainly just kept the name and concentrated on writing more slamming death metal inspired stuff. Also with some new members and line up changes. For the last couple of years we have had a lot of changes when it comes to drummers. Been having 5-6 different drummers but now we finally have a new one. 
So the line up now is:
Martin Funderud - Vocals
Ian Slemming- Bass 
Mats Funderud - Guitars
Vidar Ermesjø - Guitars
Mitch Rider - Drums

CR-  I remember reading that you were excited about the deal you got on recording time for the album?  Something about tons of time to work with?  How did the recording process go compared to the other albums?

M-  
Yeah we rented a studio from a friend really cheap and basically had limitless time for the use of it. And for this album we have used alot of time for the whole process. But we also have had some problems along the way. Had to kick out our old drummer coz his drumming for this album was not satisfactory enough for us and he didn’t have time to re-record it. So we had to put the process on hold for a bit to find a new drummer. And also had to re-record the guitars 2-3 times before it all sounded as good as we wanted (this was because there was some problem with the equipment in the studio).
And usually on the other albums we had all songs ready and written before we went in to record them, but this time we actually wrote 2-3 songs while in the studio. So this was a new and cool experience for us!

CR-  Any major differences in the style of writing this time around?  Still slammin?


M-  Yeah bro still slammin, kraanium style! But think we also have added some stuff that we didn’t use too much in our songs before.   We kinda grew a bit when it comes to the songwriting on this album!

CR-  Correct me if I am wrong but I think this is Kraanium’s 10^th year together!  Congratulations on staying together this long and getting along with each other and pumping out amazing music!  Comments on being in a band with your brother?  Any tips for young bands??


M-  Thanks! I guess it have been around ten years since we actually first started yeah! But I mean I don’t really feel like the “real" kraanium began exisiting until we started up again with Ian on bass and Vidar on second guitars, hehe! 
Well, It’s a privilege to have a twin brother to play and make music together with. I feel very lucky about that part, hehe! But we do fight like hell over riffs and writing new stuff all the time so that might be a bit frustrating sometimes for the 3 other members in the band, but I guess they have gotten pretty much used to it over the years.

CR-  What is your opinion on lyrics?  How important are they to the genre?

M-  
I think lyrics in the death metal genre are as important as in any other genres! And to be honest I don’t like this new trend with bands that have no lyrics, to me this seems like a very lazy solution for the singer!
I mean, when you are a guitarist you use a lot of time writing riffs and perfecting them to the max, and I think the same should be done when it comes to the lyrics.  As for myself I also think its much easier to have lyrics, to remember what to sing when you play live, it’s a lot harder to try and remember just vocal patterns. And yeah of course people can say: “What’s the point with lyrics when you can’t understand what we are singing" but that’s what we have the lyric sheets in the albums for :)

CR-  How are things with Comatose?  Can you say a little about how that came to fruition?



M-  Comatose is great! Steve Green is hardworking and dedicated 100% to the underground brutal death scene!
The collaboration with him so far has been great, and he really takes care of business.  The way we got signed was that we got tipped off by someone that they were looking for new bands to sign and talked to Steve about it and he was very interested in signing Kraanium. So we just went for it and have not regretted it since!

CR-  I understand you’ve got a big tour coming up!  Can you say anything about that?

M-  
Yeah! We got a USA tour starting on the beginning of June together with Atrocious Abnormality & Coathanger Abortion. It’s called COMATOUR 2012 and will feature all Comatose music bands, and we are doing 16 shows on the tour and we will also be playing at Las Vegas Deathfest. Its gonna be great!

CR-  Is there new merch in the works for Kraanium?   

M-  Yeah we are gonna have brand new merch for the tour and might do some other new merch before that as well.
Will also be re-releasing the 5 tracks from our split as its own MCD thru Rising Nemesis records from Germany. The songs will be re-mixed and we will probably have some new merch together with that release. MCD will be called “Ditch Full of Bitches"…so stay tuned for that stuff as will!

 

CR-  Who are some of your favorite vocalists?

M-  
My  personal favorites are Angel Ochoa, Wayne Knupp and Vladimir who used to sing for Abominable putridity. But I also like some of the old school dudes, like Chris Barnes and Frank Mullen!

CR-  Is Norway still constantly birthing black metal?  Do you like black metal?

M-  
Yes black metal is still the “big thing" here in Norway, but seems some people, at least the younger generation of metalheads, are starting to open their eyes for slamming death metal. Which I think is awesome!
  I like black metal yeah, but not the symphonic shit! Its gotta be old school stuff.  Me and my brother Mats actually have a black metal project band called DAUDEHAUD, and we even have released a cd.

CR-  Anything else you’d like to say to your fans?



M-  Thanks to you bro for supporting us by doing this interview! And thanks to everyone worldwide supporting Kraanium and the underground death metal scene! 

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

Unsheathed - 2011 Promo

This four piece band comes from Indonesia and packs a punch. A punch that hurts and leaves you confused. The perfect promo punch, I guess. Three songs makes up this promo, two of which leave you begging for diversity and the third gives you just that. The first two tracks, “Replenish Falsity" and “Hideous Paraplegic" are uniquely one dimensional, some would say boring. I suggest listening closely, as many times as it takes (not many) to realize that they are not boring, they don't showcase amazing songwriting, but hardly boring. They are still catchy with their repeating tremolo riffing and the pounding undertones of the drums balanced out by light and fluffy cymbal crashes.  Don’t get me wrong, the recording is pretty bad but it is easily overlooked.

A little more than halfway through “Replenish Falsity" there is a dissonant part with strummed chords that pretty muched ruined the song for me.

The vocals, which I quite enjoy, start to remind me of early Decrepit Birth(the only Decrepit Birth in my book) on "Hideous Paraplegic", a track with the same formula consisting of tremolo melodic riffs and rather generic drumming.

"Masochist Genocide" seems to come from nowhere and sounds like a different band entirely. It is the best song by far, nicely mixing in slightly more technical stuff with their unique, weird, melodic riffs and impressive gutturals. This track saves this promo and only gets better.



Unsheathed is an awesome name.
Very excited to hear what these guys do!

Check out the promo HERE

MASOCHIST GENOCIDE

abused, mistreated, culminate them suffering


then abolishment
reaches the longevity ancient
eternal untouchable, to define enlightenment of loathsome deeds
reshape sacred dismemberment
with deceit altered infinite
left murdered and nameless, ensures all are sprawl
violence of all instinct murderous
we are legion of masochist
and the facts suspected, on the shanties
profaned by indulgence, torture self
displayed them repulsive
ingesting putrefaction flesh
dismembered bodies, but they are only show their pleasure
subjection creating an mind
patiently to a premature death
then removed by his own body, several flesh crowded by maggots
shout implore it uselessly, pleasure over pain
then before i predicted this genocide bring offerings
pushed by hallucinations severe disease
penetrating inner organs
becomes in anguish of against failed racial
indulge in nefarious gore debauchery
drain the fluids from within
cleanse the body then removing
reclamation of souls
conversion genetic through steps
abused, mistreated, culminate them suffering
then abolishment
reaches the masochist