Asphyxiate - Anatomy Of Perfect Bestiality (Sevared; 2009)

From Indonesia comes Asphyxiate, new slammers out to tell you that Jasad, Imprecatory and Antraks aren't the only big timers in the country! Their sophomore LP, released a whopping six years(!) after their debut (which I have yet to hear), has just been released on Sevared recently and it sounds really sick! Let's have a quick rundown...

Shifting, stacatto riffing recalls the earliest works of Defeated Sanity, even pre-Prelude..., going back to the sound on the split with Poppy Seed Grinder. Very jumpy with raw-leaning production and a decidedly bass-to-mid range tone on the guitars, the band wastes no time and switches quickly between slamming and slower, tremolo-driven breakdowns in the first track, and most of the other stuff on here follows suit. The vocals aren't too guttural, and are instead probably the most akin to "normal" death metal as most of this gets, as it is mainly straight up brutal; blasting, slamming and dirty. Efficient songwriting shows that Asphyxiate manage their time well and actually (barely!) break the 30 minute mark with some more thoughtful constructions and odd shifts such as the tempo switches in "Gallery From The Killing Field" which somehow bring to mind the more interesting moments of progressive brutal death metallers Ingurgitating Oblivion. Total slammers might be a bit disappointed by this as it is a bit jumpy and confusing, but those seeking brutality in any of its many forms could be pleasantly surprised by this diamond in the rough...it's definitely better than Jasad's Annihilate the Enemy (the obvious reference point, I think) which suffered from poor production and overall very stale songwriting in my opinion, but it's possibly not quite as good or about on par with the Jasad debut, Witness of Perfect Torture, featuring lots of excellent flourishes and with a short running time any slammer can appreciate. Regardless, Asphyxiate blast out an impressive sophomore album with Anatomy of Perfect Bestiality...I'm interested in hearing their debut now to see how they've changed and matured in the 6 year interim between albums. Intriguing and somehow a bit more cerebral than I really expected. B+ for effort in any case, here. Not quite top tier but worthy of a buy!