SARCOLYTIC full-length + track titles announced; to be out in the Fall!

New SARCOLYTIC material has finally(!) been announced, to be released Q3 2009 on Unique Leader Records.  See below for the update, and add Sarcolytic's new Myspace page (check them out if you haven't heard them, they're an awesome slam/brutal death band from texas fronted by the mighty Zig on vocals/guitar!).

4:06:09 Sarcolytic has finished writing there debut album entitled "Thee Arcane Progeny" to be released on Unique Leader Records this September. The song titles are as followed: Emissary, Expulsion from the Desolate, Shifting Forms, Exalted Gift of the Abzu, Seeds of all Beginnings, Celestial Hymn for Enlil, Thee Arcane Progeny, Manus Obscurus, Resurrected for Bloodshed.

http://myspace.com/sarcolyticofficial

Vulvectomy news: 2 new rough instrumental untitled songs + new album info!

From Vulvectomy's Myspace we've gathered this incredibly good news!:

"Hi friends!!!! Good news for you!! After some months of "silence" due to personal works we stopped temporanealy the song-writing of the new full-length infact we had to record the album at the end of last year.

During this long time we have write some new slamming riffs and now we have 4 songs ready!! 
They sounds so good, most complex drumming than last album and good heavy slamming parts of guitars!! We start two days ago the composition of the fifth song!!
Some songs ready are ADOLESCENT VAGINAL GOURMET, STITCHED ORAL ASPHIXIATION, GANGRENOUS TESTICULAR DEFORMITY ecc....

A long period of hard work wait us.. but we'll do all the best to made a great new album who will be released by US SEVARED RECORDS in late 2009!!!!!

Cumming soon more news!!
VULVECTOMY SLAM GANG"

The two new songs sound pretty great.  They are rough as hell (drums are reaaaally kind of loud) but the songwriting is there and they seem to have matured a bit compositionally as they said.  The drumming is also more complex as they also mentioned, as they feature toms in the Roland-patterned kit now! They also kept that incredibly awesome snare fill they used in practically every song on Putrescent Clitoral Fermentation.  This is really good news...Vulvectomy are frontrunners of Italian slam right now with their infectious rhythms, incredibly heavy pit-inducing slams and great vocals.  Check out the new stuff below!

http://www.myspace.com/vulvectomyslam

Brutal Bands signs Guttural Secrete; multi-album deal inked!

In a rather exciting turn of events, Brutal Bands continues their streak of signing some of the biggest and best names in slam from the US and beyond, this time adding Guttural Secrete to their immense, quality roster!  In addition to this, they also redesigned their site, and it's looking sleek!  Head over to BB now to pre-order some of their upcoming stuff, including the new Insidious Decrepancy, Devourment and Abysmal Torment.

http://www.brutalbands.net/

State Collapse - Gothenburg Rape EP (Self Released; 2008)

When most metal fans think of Sweden and Gothenburg in particular they think of melodic death metal. State Collapse, a new band from Gothenburg seem bent on breaking this stereotype. Formed in 2007, the EP Gothenburg Rape is their only release so far.

Upon listening to this EP I was pleasantly surprised. State Collapse are definitely better than your average demo stage band. I guess it keeps with Sweden's tradition of a high concentration of quality in a relatively small brutal death metal scene. I can definitely see State Collapse being mentioned with bands like Degrade and Stabwound if they put out a full length.

The music on this short EP stays pretty well within standard slam territory. If I had to describe the music generally I would call it Inveracity with Soils of Fate and Stabwound groove. There are a lot of good fast, semi-epic melodic riffs with blasting in the background mixed in with catchy and groovy slams. The vocals alternate between high and mid growls and deep gutturals, once again reminding me of both Inveracity and Soils of Fate. The musicianship is tight and the production is adequate, which is nice considering this was self-released. State Collapse also stand out from the pack because of their aesthetic. Instead of gore they have gone for a post-apocalyptic theme. Not the most original but still different from most bands at this level.

Overall I was pleased with State Collapse and I hope they follow up Gothenburg Rape with a full length. If they build off what they've done here I can see it being quite good.

State Collapse's Myspace

Flaccid Clitoris - Lymphangitic Carcinomatosis demo (2008)

Flaccid Clitoris is a two-man slam band with programmed drums from Italy.  Sound familiar?  It should, to an extent, because Vulvectomy is also from Italy, doing super-primitive slam with no aims other than to be brutal and guttural with one more member and they also program their drums (some of the most satisfying that Nick or I have heard, also). So I came into this expecting pretty much the same riffing/slamming style Vulvectomy plays, with perhaps rawer production as this is a demo.

The first track "Umbilical Rape" immediately starts off with very raw production and very silly sounding drums.  The vocals are also quite weak and seem forced at times, the mixing is obviously very under-par, but it can be semi-forgiven as this is just a two-track demo and they're working on a new one soon.  The song seems to really lack structure as the first breakdown is introduced by an awkward shuffling rhythmic section and the vocals take the forefront almost as awkwardly.  I would highly advise having...better (for lack of a better word, really) drum programming on the next demo.  This really sounds way too fake, and the samples overlap each other with a really hideously digital sound that makes it very obvious they are digital, and not in a good way as some bands can pull off.

The second song starts off much better after an admittedly strangely implemented sample; this track seems much more straightforward with slams ending in pinch harmonics, but it also seems really repetitive up until the blasting section which I can't say this band excels at.  Once again, the cymbal samples overlap and the next one starts before the previous has properly been given room for a very artifical sound, not to mention they're really thin and have nearly no power behind them, which is a shame, because the slams these guys write aren't actually too bad.  In context though, they need a lot of work; the tone could be majorly improved, mixing could be implemented to kill the overtaking sound of the vocals and the drumming is a biiiiig sticking point on this flawed, but fun, demo.  Look forward to the new one!

Abominable Putridity

A little while ago there was a rumor floating around that Abominable Putridity had replaced their vocalist Vladimir with "Big Chocolate" of Malodorous and Disfiguring the Goddess fame. I was skeptical at the time but thanks to some anonymous commenters I have learned that this vocalist switch is in fact a reality. It is up on Abominable Putridity's myspace and the switch has been featured on flyers. Can't say I'm all that pleased as I was a big fan of Vladimir's vocals, but I'll keep an open mind about Big Chocolate's future contributions. Abominable Putridity are near the top of today's slam scene and I hope they continue to remain there.

If you want to see for yourself or just listen to some AP songs (always a wise decision) check out their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ABOMINABLEPUTRIDITY

Dysentery - From Past Suffering Comes New Flesh (Amputed Vein; 2008)

Dysentery are a band I've wanted to like for a while. They are from my home state of Massachusetts and play a very straightforward brand of brutal death metal that I should like. However something has always held me back from liking this band. I don't really know what it is but something just does not click. I've talked to Andy about it and he feels the same way. Despite this though I decided to get their first full-length (they have also released a split with Gutrot) which is called From Past Suffering Comes New Flesh.

From Past Suffering Comes New Flesh features a lot of what you'd expect from a slam death album. There are the groovy breakdowns, fast blasting and quick, slightly technical riffs throughout. Dysentery tend toward shorter songs but this is made up for by having 13 songs on the album. The production is good and the vocals alternate between low and high gutturals. On surface level everything you want from a decent album.

However still there is something that makes me not like this album. It's hard for me to articulate but the best way to describe is that it seems like Dysentery are imitating a good slam album, rather than actually playing one. It's not like they are a clone band, which can be very good. Rather it's like they haven't really figured out how to structure all these breakdowns and blasts and gutturals into engaging songs. It's kind of like reading a novelization of your favorite movie. Yeah the plot is the same, but you'd rather just see the movie. To continue this metaphor, a clone band would be more like a remake of a movie, which as I mentioned can be good.

My recommendation for this album is to listen to some samples before you buy it. I don't know if everyone will have the same reaction to this as I did. As I said, on the surface it has all the elements of a good album, and that might be enough for some people.

TWO new Devourment songs for download (WAV files, high quality!)

The gracious (depraved, slam-infested) souls of Devourment have graced us finally with two post production songs from this year's highly anticipated Unleash the Carnivore album.  Please follow the link below to obtain this (sanctioned) download if you don't already have it.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/3q7z5d