Scatorgy - Scatorgy (2013;New Standard Elite)

Scatorgy. Just let that name sink in for a bit. Hell, just look at the cover art. You would probably guess this to be some garbage porngrind or goregrind album. You would also be gravely mistaken. Scatorgy play some of the most demented, vile, and vicious brutal death metal I have ever heard. It's almost as disgusting as the cover art.

This album presents you with approximately 20 minutes of pure insanity. Think Brodequin, if they were getting sodomized by Amputated Genitals, and you've got a good idea of what you're getting here. These guys don't fuck around. Insanely fast blasts are aplenty, complimented by some insane, almost deathgrind riffs. Sprinkle in a bit of technical noodling on the guitar, some massive slams, and what sounds like a bear on the microphone, and you have Scatorgy.

Instrumentally, Scatorgy is pretty much impeccable. Tom Allott, the guitarist, shows some great technical skill, transitioning from some incredibly fast riffs to some heavy as hell slams at the drop of a dime, while throwing in some little technical flourishes that you don't hear too often in brutal death metal. James Shuster does a great job with the vocals, employing a few different styles to keep it from being monotonous. Paul Lead does a good job on bass, but doesn't really stand out. Although I would say that's more of a problem with the mixing than his playing. And then we have the drummer, Tom Walker, who is quite possibly one of the fastest drummers I have ever heard. He blasts like a man possessed, but what's most impressive about his drumming is the subtle little nuances he adds in with his symbol work. That, and the goddamn Short Bus Pile Up styled snare production, which only adds to the sound they're going for.

There are some downsides to this record though. For one, the mixing job, while decent, leaves a little to be desired when it comes to the low end. It's almost impossible to hear the bass, which detracts from the overall heaviness. The biggest problem though is how everything seems to run together. There aren't many memorable moments to be had on this album. Even after listening to it ten, twenty, even thirty times, I'm hard pressed to remember any singular moment. I also would've liked a little bit of breathing room, but seeing how it's only a 20 minute album, it's not that big of an issue.

Overall, this is a pretty damn good record. It's definitely catered towards fans of Brodequin, Liturgy, Orchidectomy, and their ilk. If you're looking for an album to ruthlessly beat you into submission repeatedly, look no further.


 

Goemagot - Eradication Of Insignificant Beings (2013;Sevared Records)

Yes, I know it's been a while. Our last post was on July 8th, 2012, and I feel awful for that. We've all been quite busy, and to be perfectly honest with you, not too impressed with the scene in 2012. Of course there we some great albums released, but overall it wasn't that great a year for our slammy brethren. Within the first month and a half of 2013, we've already seen a larger amount of high quality music released. This is the our year, and what better way to start if off than by reviewing an incredible debut album a relatively unknown band named Goemagot.

For those who don't know, Goemagot is a three piece Brutal Death Metal / Slam act that hail from Rochester, NY. They released a 3 track demo titled Parasitic Incineration to the acclaim of the underground mid 2012. It's quite a well produced demo that showcased a high quality brutal death metal band with songwriting chops far beyond their age. The subtle nuances in their riffs set them apart from their peers. I'm sure everyone was stoked to hear where they went from there, and if they could keep up that level of quality. Not only have they lived up to their demo, I dare say they've surpassed it.

What you get on Eradication of Insignificant Beings is a 11 track crash course in how to perfectly balance technicality and groove. It really sounds like a mixture of old Abominable Putridity, Colonize The Rotting, and Brain Drill channeled through competent songwriters. Hell, some tracks have moments that remind me of Ropreromp. From the opening tracks subtle change ups in the slams, to the insane grooves, blasts, and an intense little guitar solo (!), you'll be hard pressed to stop from banging your head. Everything is on point. Nothing sounds forced, or just tacked on. The most impressive aspect of this album has to be their sense of melody. Not since Saprogenic have I been so enthralled by their use of odd little guitar melodies. You'll be hearing a lot of tremolo picked melodies, like the intro to the track Let Them Become Soil, or the epic, almost Colombian styled riff near the end of Stump.

The drumming is another high point on this album. Daniel Hemmerich is a name you'll be hearing a lot more in the future. He's just beastly on the kit, throwing everything at you up to and including the kitchen sink. The only nitpick I have though would be the vocals. There's plenty of variation on this album vocally, and that's usually a good thing, but it's not all of equal quality. His gutturals are perfectly fine, and so are his more high pitched vocals, but when he tries to go for some of his ultra low gutturals, it just seems a bit monotonous. Overall though, Cody McConnell does a great job.

I could elaborate more on how much I enjoy Matt Murphy's guitar playing on this album, how I love the little bass noodling that pops up here and there, how I absolutely can't get enough of some of the chaotic gravity blasts that happen, but I think I should end it here. Eradication Of Insignificant Beings is the best debut album I have heard in quite some time. I implore you all to scope out this album when it drops. I know that 2013 has already been way too kind to us brutal death metal aficionados, what with Devourment, Guttural Secrete, Defeated Sanity, and Suffocation releasing albums, but it would be a great injustice to let those high profile releases overshadow such an impressive debut.