Goretrade - Mistaken Conception (Brutalized Records; 2010)

If you hang around metal message boards long enough, you'll probably notice that there is a seeming divide between those who like brutal death metal and those who like old school death metal. Now, I think most of this is overblown for the sake of something to argue about, but nevertheless there are those who say everything brutal is trash, and those who say the old stuff is garbage.

I'd like to think that Goretrade is a band that can bridge the gap between the two camps. On their first two albums (2003's Ritual of Flesh and 2006's Perception of Hate), they successfully fused evil, old-school sounding riffs with crushing slams and the type of raw brutality that can only come from Colombia. If you are are already a fan of Goretrade and their unique style, then you will like Mistaken Conception. It sounds like their first two albums, while taking small steps forward so as not to sound stale.

If you haven't heard Goretrade before then this is probably a good place to start. Mistaken Conception is their most polished work and the riffs are tight and intricate. The same mix of evil, foreboding Colombian melodies and steamrolling slams remains, but there is an extra tinge of complexity that their previous two albums (and especially the very raw Ritual of Flesh) didn't have. There's even a long solo in one song, which I always like.

If you tend to like raw slam from Colombia (Suppuration or Wormeaten for instance) then you might prefer Ritual of Flesh, but I think Mistaken Conception is easily as good if not better. Goretrade have done an excellent job moving their style forward without going so far as to be unrecognizable. In a year that has featured some let downs, I know this album will be high on my top ten list.