Slam in 2021 continues to impress with not one, not two, but three new NSE releases, each of which is satisfying in its own way. First up, we're going to take a look at Indonesian brutality purveyors Asphyxiate's new album, Altar of Decomposed.
This is Asphyxiate's first album in eight years, and the amount of work they've put in between the years following Self Transform From Decayed Flesh up until the present day is evident in how absolutely fucking great this is. Now, I would never say I was a giant fan of this band's previous works, as, although they've generally been solid works of Indonesian brutality, they do bear a lot of the hallmarks and pitfalls of that scene's sound: raw-ish, thin production, vocals that are well-performed and passionately-delivered but not really superb overall, odd mixing, and songs that don't feel overall satisfying or memorable despite a high ratio of good to meh riffs.
Right off the bat, we can hear a thicker, more bludgeoning tone to the guitars, and a satisfyingly pinged-out snare that nevertheless doesn't really overdo it on that front. This really charges right out of the gate with a bouncy slam and chunky riff section punctuated by excellent gutturals with a lot more clarity and composure to them compared to prior albums by these guys. I immediately started drawing comparisons to Cerebral Effusion crossed with Hymenotomy in how dense and jam-packed, yet loose and flowing these riffs and sections feel. I also pick up some strong Injury Deepen vibes in the way almost every riff is constructed over charging blasts, which also means this reminds me a lot of Gorgasm by extension at times, with some pretty overt Disgorge leanings peppered throughout. Track 2, "Sickening Canvas of the Dead," has a superb slower section with some flourishes of technicality in it and a dragging slam-esque riff that really brings some primality to the proceedings, and the band utilizes these types of sections here and there to counterpoint their usually fast-and-blasting style. They never really get to the level of Putridity in terms of pure blast-laden ferocity, but I really enjoy the contrasting elements that they layer in here, as those parts give this some true replayability. There are a couple standouts here that break from the mold, those two being "Altar of Decomposed," with its extremely dark approach, carrying a dreadful air of mystery throughout its snaking melodic passages, and "The Saint Killer" which just packs an absolute ton of catchy and satisfying riffs in its 3 minute runtime while also featuring probably the best single slam section on the entire album at 1:50 or so.
Anyway, with all these things having been said, the entire record is very much a "slab." In true Indonesian brutal death metal fashion, it does have a fairly-homogeneous sound throughout, and when you put it on, it's definitely one of those albums that you should be devoting some time to paying attention to. It doesn't have as many ridiculous slams or absurd catchy parts as some other recent NSE releases from the past year, but what you get here is exactly what you think you're going to get based on listening to the first few minutes of it. Some small highlights (the intense bass shredding toward the end of "Inhuman Catharsis" or the aforementioned odd, dark melodies in the title track's slower sections, for example) do break things up in their own way, but I think the consistency of this album is probably also one of its weaknesses in a sense. At a hair over 30 minutes long, it's about 5-7 minutes longer than the "ideal" slam album length, but they use the time well and I don't think it could really shave much off to become a leaner and/or meaner beast, so I guess it's not really an issue as much as a thing that feels kind of noticeable as I listen to it. And, of course, it's been eight years, so it makes sense that they have a lot up their sleeves for this release. No real complaints from me on this one, and it is certainly worth spinning many times. Hopefully it doesn't take them another eight years between albums, but I'm sure the next one will be an astronomical increase in quality even from this enjoyable brutality. More NSE reviews soon... stay fucking sick!
Relevant Links:
Asphyxiate - Altar of Decomposed (official direct Bandcamp link)
New Standard Elite / Death Direct (official website)
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