2007 Superlatives

As the end of 2007 rolls in, Nick and I were thinking of how we'd categorize some of the most famous and shame-ous albums of 2007...so we decided to go with the perfect way. Behold, the high school superlatives of slamming brutal death metal in 2007!

Best Debut Full-Length:

Down From The Wound - Agony Through Rituals Of Self Purification
Bow down to the new true masters of slam, your friendly neighborhood (OK, maybe not so much...fuckin' Filipino!) brutalites Down From The Wound. Their debut is chock full of chunky Devourment-isms and an equal amount of side-blasting, technical-shifting Suffocation references. As if that isn't enough, you get a couple vocal solos, some breakdowns that will literally make you want to pound your head into the nearest large solid object, and some truly excellent drumming courtesy of god-among-men Randyl (who we previously interviewed).

Best Debut EP/Demo:

MP5K - Deranged Stockholm Syndrome EP
What to say about the true inheritors of Swede-slam? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em is how the old proverb goes, and these young upstarts show that there's no better time to do just that than the present. Featuring ex-Soils Of Fate drummer and basically a thicker sounding version of SOF's basic template, these Scandinavian motherfuckers assault you with 5 tracks of insanely groovy, catchy, and brutal death metal! I think their debut might just kill a few people.

Heaviest Album:

Infernal Revulsion - Devastate Under Hallucination
You're gonna have a pretty fucking hard time finding something this heavy, and with such a REASON to be such. Subtly progressive song structures get this Japanese band far in advance of most of their contemporary competition, and the overall gravity of, well, just about EVERY instrument playing here AT ALL TIMES (even the vocals are heavy!) is beyond huge. The production also allows a ton of headroom for this to be the case; excellent and upfront riffs and slams are showcased by a pristine chugging guitar tone which highlights the lows and mids perfectly, while leaving room for a short solo or two to cut in. Speaking of that, check out the slamming instrumental opening track, nothing short of fantastic. More, please!

Catchiest/Grooviest Award:

Human Rejection - Torture Of Decimation
It's actually just the beginning of "Last Abortion Mass" which sells this one...that is seriously an infectious riff. The entire thing is short, to the point, and fucking groovy as hell. There isn't a boring moment on this one, and the band impressed me even more because they're Greek and don't sound like the other Greek slam available; they keep it tight with a Devourment (indeed, Nick noticed that the riff off the song I mentioned above is at least partially stol--er, appropriated--from "Masturbating At The Slab") style, only (as Nick puts it) "bouncier" and not as focused on being super brutal. It actually really works, somehow, and HR come out on top as being one of the more worthwhile Greek entries, right up there with our next winner:

Most Epic:

Inveracity - Extermination Of Millions
When I first put this on, I remember thinking to myself "did I actually just buy the lost Kronos album or something?" This album is chock full of amazingly epic riffing, from the syncopated lead harmonic riffs in "Visions Of Coming Apocalypse" to the improved style of old favorite "Raped." I actually wouldn't really call this slam, except for some places where they accurately throw in a nice chunky breakdown. For the most part, it's full of subtly catchy tremolo riffs with more melody than the standard "tremolo brutal" band Deeds Of Flesh, but not as much as some shitty Gothenburg. That said, this strikes a chord with me for also being one of those sophomore albums that goes way the fuck above and beyond what is to be expected of a band. I wanted more Suffocation worship, but I got something even better; a brutal album with brains and flair.

Most Drastic Change:

Infected Malignity - RE:bel
Er...what the fucksticks? This is definitely not the slamming Japanese guttural band Nick loved and I disliked for the most part. For this album, the band randomly became melodic deathcore and became momentarily (or maybe permanently) American/Canadian-sounding. I have to say, I think I laughed out loud when I first found out about this, but the album (despite being shorter than pretty much every slam album this year, though it's technically an EP I believe) is actually really damn good. Churning death metal with hardcore breakdowns, some acoustics (wah--?!), and a good helping of anger...this is good shit. Though...seriously...what the hell did they do this for? My logic points to money, and I'd believe it if they sounded passionless and stale, but...yeah I don't know. Whatever, I guess.

Best Cover Art:

Putridity - Mental Prolapse Induces Necrophilism
Nick and I picked an underdog for this one, an album he reviewed by an obscure Italian slam band called Putridity. We'd probably pick Extermination Of Millions if we didn't subscribe to the old "an album can only win one award" rule, so we went with this fucked up cover. Zig's trademark macabre style of weird stuff being eaten, impaled, and brutalized in general rings true here, but there's also this disturbing sense of space and depth. Then there's this dude with cysts growing out of his head standing right up front. And fucking...worm things and stuff...what the hell? Awesome!

Biggest Disappointment:

Condemned - Desecrate The Vile
With members of mighty pure-slam band Cephalotripsy, I was really looking forward to this, but felt highly let down. Sure it's heavy, fast, and slammy, but I didn't really see the point. Plus the last track, which I saw was 11 minutes long, was one I falsely expected to actually be 11 minutes of death metal, like Deeds' "The Endurance," but...no such luck. Stupid 9 minute outro...kind of bothered me. Without this it's like 23 minutes long, which is criminally short. I guess this album wouldn't really be disappointing if I didn't think it had potential in the first place, and that's what I'm getting at. Tons of bands are playing this only better...and with the personnel involved, I thought I'd get smacked by something impressive...ah well. No bad blood, though...maybe their follow-up will slay!

Andy's top 10 brutal/slam albums of 2007:
1. Down From The Wound - Agony Through Rituals Of Self Purification
2. Inveracity - Extermination Of Millions
3. Infernal Revulsion - Devastate Under Hallucination
4. Cephalotripsy - Uterovaginal Insertion Of Extirpated Anomalies
5. Ancient Necropsy - Apocalyptic Empire
6. MP5K - Deranged Stockholm Syndrome EP
7. Human Rejection - Torture Of Decimation
8. Malignancy - Inhuman Grotesqueries
9. Cenotaph - Reincarnation In Gorextasy
10. Putridity - Mental Prolapse Induces Necrophilism
w/ honorable mentions to the new Sadistic Mutilation, Defleshuary, Katalepsy, Odious Mortem (if it counts...not sure really), Defloration (same here), and Human Excoriation.

Nick's Top 10 brutal/slam albums of 2007
1. Infernal Revulsion - Devastate Under Hallucination
2. Down From the Wound - Agonies Through Rituals of Self Purification
3. Inveracity - Extermination of Millions
4. Human Rejection - Torture of Decimation
5. Malignancy - Inhuman Grotesqueries
6. Putridity - Mental Prolapse Induced Necrophilism
7. MP5k - Deranged Stockholm Syndrome
8. Cenotaph - Reincarnation in Gorextasty
9. Ancient Necropsy - Apocalyptic Empire
10. Defeated Sanity - Psalms of the Moribund
Honorable Mentions go to Cephalotripsy, Katalepsy, Sadistic Mutilation, Atrocious Abnormality, and Human Excoriation

Disconformity - Depravation of Stigma - 2005 -WD Sounds

Here's a nice little piece of the underground I picked up the other day from a local distro along with Pus Vomit and Down From the Wound's demo. This EP from Japan's Disconformity contains two new tracks and 3 demo tracks totalling out to a little over 17 minutes and comes in a little baby digipack.

Disconformity play a very heavy and very groove oriented slam. The grooves are very catchy and it's easy to draw comparisons to countrymen Vomit Remnants. They stray from the VR similarities with the use of some catchy non-slam riffs. These are well done and are nice change from the usual jun-jun formula. Besides that and a few well placed pinch harmonics it's the Devourmentism we all know and love. The songwriting is well done, especially on the two new tracks and utilizes the talent of the band.

One thing that I really love about this EP is the vocals, as per most Japanese bands they are very good. Again, a Vomit Remnants comparison is apt, along with Mike Majewski era Devourment. Very deep and very guttural which is just to my liking. A definite strong point of the band here. They also throw in a nice shouted/screaming part in Penetrated Unseen Supression which works well.

The production was surpisingly good on this EP, considering it's short length and inclusion of demo tracks. Kudos to the band for keeping the bass presence heavy and utilizing panning well. The only thing that concerns me is that this came out in 2005. When are we going to hear an album? Disconformity definitely have the talent, sound and songwriting skills to pull off something really great.

Defleshuary - Zombie Plague, Rampant Horror - 2007 - Homicide Watch Records

Since we all know Pennsylvanian death metal is so hard to find (Nick and I could really only think of a few other acts, namely Hamilton Fish and Inhuman Dissiliency), these slammers, fronted by the extremely nice and charitable Rick Shirk on guitars/vocals, have come to show the world how brutal PA can be. With this, their debut "professional" outing into the world of metal (they've had previous small distribution EPs and demos before), the dudes in Defleshuary hack and chop through 8 songs in around 22 minutes of chunky, slamming, and sometimes ridiculously catchy brutality.

For instance, in opener "Wax Sarcophagus," you get hit with a really awesome chunky section with Rick's excellent death growl fronting everything. The snare tone is kind of annoying, but all of the other drums sound pretty good. Panned cymbals really add to the depth of the recording, and well timed ride hits like in the beginning section of "Hunger Spirit" really nail what the drummer is going for...flavorful and tasteful brutal drumming that doesn't try to be overzealous, nor does it really sit back and relax. In this sense, I'm drawing comparisons to bands like Vomit The Soul and Goretrade, both of which have excellent drumming that doesn't go to either extreme too often.

Though this is only a combination of their first EP and 2 new tracks, everything blends together really well and I end up not minding at all despite having heard the 6 original songs before a year ago. The production is crisp, tight, and impressively thick for such a small label release. On the new tracks, though, we get to a kind of next-level technical slam assault with early Swedish almost-D-beats and great catchy riffs and slams. Given its short length, this is one of those things I can pretty much throw on any time, similar to Human Rejection's debut album, which I could also compare this to musically given the nice inclusion of semi-unique moments of bizarre technicality, intensely tight musicianship, and over-the-top shades of greatness.

Thanks to Rick and the guys for sending Nick and I not only a copy of this EP, but also for the fucking sick shirts...support these guys, they're attempting a renaissance of East Coast American slam, and I hugely wish that would happen...until next album...

Interview with Ivan of Ancient Necropsy

Brutal and infernal hails to you Ivancient...we hope to learn more about the Colombian scene, your epic style of songwriting, and anything else pertaining to ANCIENT NECROPSY in this interview...
hi bro all right!!

First of all, how do you think ANCIENT NECROPSY has changed since the first recordings ("Demonstration Of Madness And Hate" demo and s/t full-length)?
many things changed.-.. the lyrics concept,,, now is better..

What is in store for your future? Are you staying with Mutilated Records?
no i will not work more!!

You worked with the quality Goregiastic Records on "Deformed King's Mummification". How did the recording process go?
normal.. i recorded and they buying me the recording.. and no more..

How do you construct your songs?
first i created the guitars and later de drums.. the lyrics and it yet!!

As we understand, you're also in the excellent Colombian band SUPPURATION...how is work on a new album going (if it's in the process at all)?
no i play not with them... they are from other city so far away from the mine..
i only work teh guitars of their firt cd.. but no more.. is not my band

Where do you see the Colombian brutality scene heading in the next 5-10 years?
i thing that will be death.-.. no support..
many shows but only 50 peoples

Who are some bands you've played South America with?
i cant remember in 9 years.. i has been play wit a lot of bands.. i cant rembember... a lot..
are many..

What do you think of bands from other parts of the world? Do you listen to any brutal death metal from Asia, Europe, etc.?
sure... have many killer bands... but boored too..

Your epic style of riffs and songwriting are a key defining factor of ANCIENT NECROPSY's music, and these are also found in SUPPURATION's album...how do you do it?!
no suppuration i did .. i composed the guitars on a day..
ancient necropsy i did on a year per album.. is not the same... ancient necropsy is my empire..
the other things that a i made for others is without my soul..


Any plans for a tour of the US or Europe?
no.. plans to go there no.. still not.. and i thing that never couse.. the papers is so hard,,, and ancient necropsy will have a recces of many time i thing,,

Kind of a lame question, but always interesting to read about; what are your influences and why?
many things.. opera, classical music. deed of flesh. cryptosy , kataclism.. and dying fetus.. they are the best for me..


Thank you for taking the time to work with Slam-Minded, America's Most Brutal Blog...anything you'd like to ask us in return?
thanks to you for your time
visit us at
www.myspace.com/ancientnecropsy

Dirt - Promo - 2007

Now, last post we covered the Russian slam scene...but after this happened S-M got a friend request from a band called Dirt from Russia. I took a listen to the first real song on their Myspace and knew I had to review it for them once they asked me to. This is some really professional sounding, tight, and SLUDGY brutal death/goregrind/pornogrind. Sick, sleazy, downtuned slam riffs combined with some odd ambient acoustic(!?!) playing in "200." This only seldom gets above a mid-tempo speed, but it works at the pacing with a kind of Soils Of Fate-on-slow feeling.

Excellent drum programming that makes the band sound kind of like a mid-paced Libido Airbag in "Blackness" pervades all over this disc, with a lot of great catchy beats and fills hitting all the spots you want them to. The vocals are a deep raspy blend of gutturals and Negligent Collateral Collapse-esque pitch shifting with some "ree"s here and there, showing off a nice variety of different vocalizations. In "Fear Abyss" we begin with a nice catchy goregrind riff and go into nicely done blastbeats in a sort of old Lymphatic Phlegm style, so you can tell this will be good for all fans of depraved, perverse, and structurally complex grind.

I can see these guys getting signed with a label such as Bizarre Leprous, and I would totally encourage this as a Dirt tour would totally rule given what I've seen of their live pics. Overall, this is a surprisingly excellent demo in a hybrid style of a lot of brutal types of death metal and related genres. Bits and pieces of this could appeal to goregrinders, black metal kvltists, slammers, and everyone in between. Go forth and mutilate, Dirt!

Russian Slam Scene: A Critical Look

Nick and I recently read a headline that said 'Putin slams foreign nations for backing opposition' and we knew we had to do an article about Russian brutality; even their leader endorses it! Going off this, we now present our first in-depth look at the crazy, busy Russian slamming scene. Onwards!

Katalepsy: Now HERE's a fucking worthwhile band. Totally pro sounding heavy as fuck crushing slam death. Technical and musically competent, but not pretentious or wanky...just pure skull-devouring brutality. Some nice songwriting here with a few good covers on the full-length (they made a Mortician song sound GOOD, and a Megadeth song sound better! Hail to these guys...we await your new album when it arrives.

Cephalic Impurity: I'm sure Ivan, one half of this band's skeletal makeup (band members, folks), will be able to provide a postscript addition to this post (since we initially hired him to do so!), but for now we're just gonna sing the praises of this two-man wrecking machine. Their new ditty, "Surgical Defilement" is a really catchy and memorable sounding attack in the vein of Ingurgitate. The sound is straightforward but undeniably concrete and visceral, with a memorable drum programming approach to boot. I'll also give them huge props for having "no bass" on this song when it clearly sounds heavier than a ton of bricks...crazy!!

As for Nick's thoughts on the scene, he decided to talk about a very little known band:

Promiscuity: This band at first sounded like your typical slam band, but as the music progressed so did my enjoyment of it. Beyond the fairly good slam riffs there are some more melodic, but still very death metal, riffs. Maybe similar to (newer) Inveracity, Goretade and Inherit Disease riffs here and there, possibly a little old school as well. Vocals are pretty sick but also too quiet. Same problem for the drums. If this band can get better mixing and refine their songwriting I think they will definitely do well.

And so we arrive at arguably the most "famous" Russian slam band nowadays...

Abominable Putridity: As far as Devourment worship goes, I think those Texans have met their match here. For pure guttural sickness there is no better to rip off than the almighty, and these dudes realize that. Pure heavy slam grooves combined with very tight playing (even on the fucking demo!) and even a tremolo riff here and there (blasphemy!). We are both really, really, really (seriously) psyched about their upcoming full-length on Lacerated Enemy, so when that drops...there will be something new to praise around here. Something heavy, something...something Russian! All hail the new Czars of slam!

DOWN FROM THE WOUND T-Shirt Now Available!

DFTW's first widely available t-shirt is now purchasable from Sevared Records...I just bought one and I'm fucking psyched...support!!

Ancient Necropsy - Apocalyptic Empire - 2007 - Mutilated Records

What we have here is the latest album by Colombian deathgrind act Ancient Necropsy which consists of only one man, the multi-talented Ivancient a.k.a Ivan Jaramilla, who performs every instrument and does the vocals on this album. Very impressive if you ask me.

If you already like Ancient Necropsy you can stop reading now and go buy the album. It is everything you liked about the band before, but with slightly better production and songwriting. For those who haven't heard the band before continue on.

The riffs here are mainly fast and melodic tremolo riffs. However these are not your sappy Scandinavian melodic riffs, these are more in the epic and obscure variety, somewhat like Deeds of Flesh. These are more interesting and evocative than catchy. You will not confuse these with melodeath riffs in anyway. In my opinion these interesting riffs are what make Ancient Necropsy so good. Besides these riffs you can some typical pinch harmonic and power chord riffs to keep the brutality levels high.

The rest of the instrumentation is pretty good, especially considering that this is all done by one person. The drum sound, with it's loud, pinging snare reminds me of a lot of the other Colombian bands, such as Amputated Genitals or Goretrade. The bass is not a prominent part of this album and the vocals could be a little better, but this is metal, and it's more about the guitar riffs, which as I mentioned earlier are really great.

So if you like Ancient Necropsy, get this, it's everything that made this band great in the past, done slightly better. If you want an interesting and unique album that keeps its heft and brutality, get this as well.