Asphyxiate - Altar of Decomposed (2021; New Standard Elite)

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)

Infectology - Promo 2021 (New Standard Elite)

You know it's gonna be a good year for slam when there's a demo that catches your ear that is six minutes long, from a band you've never heard, and which you play on repeat for days straight like a psycho. Enter Infectology.

I've already talked at length in my past few entries since restarting this blog about how 2021 seems like a real renaissance, so I'll dispense with that right out of the gate, but seriously... what is happening right now? This demo follows an album from 2016 (coincidentally released on Gore House Productions who have featured heavily in this blog since its recent rebirth) that was... not great. I don't even think I listened to the first Infectology album until I discovered this new demo and went back to check it out. It's decent and everything, at least from a songwriting perspective, but the production could not be further from this new demo. In a sense, their 2016 album reminds me a little of some of that oddly-melodic/epic Colombian slam/BDM (such as Blaze Inside or Suppuration), and the sound quality in general is somewhat quaint but not impressive.

Well, forget everything you thought you knew about Infectology before this post (unless you've already listened to this blisteringly-brutal demo, in which case, you definitely already know what I'm about to elucidate upon), because holy fuck. This new demo is unnecessarily intense and tight, jaw-droppingly heavy, massive, and well-written. It starts with four ping-y snare hits that lead to a massive, charging, chunky riff section that features some of the most amazing dual-vocal tradeoffs I've heard lately. The pinch-harmonic laden verse riff that leads to the first rolling slam is out-of-this-world good, bringing to mind comparisons to Cerebral Effusion, and the next few sections are pure ping slam in the Ecchymosis style with lots of fun flair and aplomb throughout. This is a massive step up in quality from the 2016 album. It doesn't even sound remotely like the same band.

The second track seems like it's going to bring out some Hymenotomy-type groove/intensity, but the quick fake-out in the beginning leads to straightforward blasting with heavily reverbed vocals and a continuation of the harmonic-punctuated chunky slam style from the first song. The main thrust of the track has a rolling groove mixed with some chaotic snare rolls and a superb slam that makes me think of the darker and creepier side of slam (somewhat pioneered by Condemned), just overall dripping with atmosphere and intensity. The bass tone on this thing is also out of control, and the playing itself is superb. In a genre where rhythm is extremely important, sometimes it feels like the bass guitar is forgotten. There are some obvious bands that implement this instrument in a meaningful, compositionally-deft way, but a lot of the time it's pretty much just going to be an element that follows the guitar. Right from the outset of the first track, the blasting sections that are punctuated by quick hammer-ons on guitar are also outfitted with loud, clear, and sharp bass playing that is brought alive and rendered interesting and salient by a superb mix. I don't think I'm alone when I say that I cannot fucking wait for the album signaled by these two tracks. Dan at NSE is once again doing a fantastic job scouting talent, no doubt about it. This is the best demo I've heard in ages and I consider it a wonderfully brutal teaser of things to come for this outfit. Listen to it now below.

As always, NSE merchandise is available here.

Abominable Putridity - Parasitic Metamorphosis Manifestation (2021; Inherited Suffering Records)

Welcome back, my fellow slammers. Lately, I've been feeling increasingly-certain that this year will turn out to be one of the most memorable in recent memory for our beloved genre of brutal musical sickness. Out of seemingly-nowhere (though I personally think it's more likely that they popped out of an interdimensional space after hibernating in cosmic stasis for a while), Russian heavy machine Abominable Putridity bestowed upon the world its third full-length album (first in about nine years!) after tons of lineup changes and an air of uncertainty about the future of the project. I realize that there has been a healthy amount of cynicism regarding AP, since news had up until recently been pretty sparse, and of course the mysterious vacating of every member but the drummer and the subsequent recruitment of journeyman vocalist Ángel Ochoa in the early stages of last year were kind of shocking to some fans, but I think I speak for many of us when I say that this album is, perhaps slightly-surprisingly, fucking awesome.

When I got the e-mail from Inherited Suffering Records that this randomly popped up on Bandcamp last week, my jaw hit the floor as I realized it wasn't just another random single but an entire freaking album. There were rumors this was going to drop in 2020, but it seems like it may have required a bit more time in the incubator, or perhaps Alex knew that 2021 would be a better time to drop this as it seems we may be in the middle of a bit of a slam renaissance right now, but whatever the reason, I immediately hit play and proceeded to expect at least some element of disappointment or "well, that was fine, but not sure why we waited so long for it." Again, I'm reasonably confident I speak for at least some of you reading this right now when I say tension was high and expectations were set at a comfortably-moderate level. My fears felt at least slightly quelled as the short intro gave way to a near-perfect chunky slam with some triplet modulations and interesting rhythms peppered throughout. At this point, I was essentially somewhere between "massively-fucking-excited" and "still-somewhat-leery," both due to my familiarity with the earlier version of the next track and my general (probably-misguided) lack of faith.

I really enjoyed "Supreme Void" with Matti on vocals, but I always felt like he phoned in his way around the lyrics, which made it tough to read along to the lyric video they released. I know this is a silly criticism because who really cares about lyrics in stuff like this, but I think it kind of points to a bigger issue within this scene... guest vocalists that just don't feel like they "belong" on the source material. I was a bit worried about the inclusion of Ángel here, too, honestly, and at first I recall thinking his performance on this was a bit lackluster upon initial listens (and it seems like there are different lyric for this track entirely because it's impossible to follow along with the original 2018 words, but I suppose that's not really here nor is it there), but after a while it felt very natural. Think about the vocals on In The End Of Human Existence. They're pretty characterless and bland, right? It feels like Ángel's gutturals here were purposely kept a little plain, and his penchant for wet, slurring, sometimes-goofy vociferations has been seemingly pretty held-back here, but I think it actually works well. Just my opinion, of course. Anyway, the track has heavier and thicker production than the 2018 version, but it's overall pretty similar outside of the vocalist switch.

The opening lurch of "Obscure Entity of Darkness" further sells the excellence of this release and is really the first taste of what you're truly in for during the remainer of the run-time. A superb mix of complex tremolo/blast sections with surprising melodies and hard-hitting slams that plod in the most satisfying way possible. The opening section of "Sphacelated Nerves" from this band's debut has long been one of my favorite slams due to its fun groove and 4/4 splash usage, and it's cool to hear that Alex's callsign of flavorful drumming has remained over the long period since the debut AP work, because the well-done fills and satisfying ride usage have really wormed their way into the mix here in a really efficient way. The crisp mix doesn't hurt either, and I have been pretty consistently impressed by how many times I've picked up small details like bass licks or subtle slam modulations I've missed each time I return to this one. And it's only been a week, so I guarantee I'll be finding more to love about this as the year proceeds.

As someone who was not really big into The Anomalies Of Artificial Origin, I was beyond happy to hear just how much this new album sounds like an energetic, adrenaline-driven mid-point between the caveman slam of In The End... and the spastic technicality of Anomalies... Vigorous, pummeling slams drive most of these tracks to extremely-visceral and satisfying places while slight deviations into chaos help it stay diverse and re-playable without seeming too unhinged. Russian slam has pretty typically been constantly teetering on the edge of "alright guys, this is a bit too much" and "yes, just do exactly that for twenty-five minutes and record it" to me, so that makes the balance this strikes all the more impressive to my trained ears.

Though it will probably take me another few weeks to distinguish these songs from one another without looking at the tracklist, each track does truly feel like a microcosm of excellent ideas pushed to extremely-logical conclusions with very little in the way of noticeable drops in quality. Unexpected twists like the deviant slam about 50 seconds into "Inorganic Infusion Protocol," the weird filter sweep part halfway into "Paroxysm," and the dark, foreboding melody that makes up a lot of the latter half of "Superior Extradimensional Decimation" lend some good delineation to these songs and make the experience feel very purposeful and well-composed, which is a prominent aspect of "one-man slam" acts that is worthy of consideration. Slam solo projects have been a common occurrence for pretty much the entirety of the time I've been into the genre, and in my opinion this is the type of music that benefits from having a single mind do a lot of the creative work because it can be such a straightforward style at its core. It's amusing that this is almost paradoxically not an example of that, considering how off-the-wall some of the stuff happening here is, but the fact that it is pretty invariably-cohesive, single-minded, and relentless speaks to Alex's talents and his growth as a writer over the long years of silence.

Overall, AP's new album is a massive slab of great slam with diverse and flourishing technicality placed at opportune moments along its lean 25 minute run-time. I think this one is going to be pretty tough to top, though several great releases have already found their way into constant rotation on my playlists so far this year; always a great sign. In terms of comparisons to other bands, this seems to owe a lot to Condemned (dark and dreary atmosphere that nevertheless feels alive and dangerous), Defeated Sanity (some songwriting choices feel Lille-esque), and Wormed (general concept as well as the marriage of technicality with chunky slams) by turns, but it really does feel like its own thing. I hope this album gets the praise it deserves, and I'm happy to highly-recommend it to anyone and everyone who loves this type of music. Hell, this has a big enough level of crossover appeal with tech death without really truly immersing into that pool that it could bring over some people who have misunderstood or otherwise not really found themselves enjoying slam over the years. This is a resounding success. Class dismissed. End of discussion.

Relevant Links:
Abominable Putridity - Parasitic Metamorphosis Manifestation (official direct Bandcamp link)
Inherited Suffering Records (official website)

Insect Inside - The First Shining of New Genus (2021; Gore House Productions)

Insect Inside is not technically a new band, but listening to the few released singles from this album a couple weeks ago before it dropped had me looking into them in order to do research for this review. Evidently, they put out a one-song demo back in 2017 and, listening to it compared to this debut, it's clear they've come quite a long way. The First Shining of New Genus is a pretty excellent first official effort by this trio of Russian slamophiles.

The album begins with a sample and atmosphere that will sound familiar to anyone who has heard the aforementioned first demo of this band, as it is the same "tortured dude screaming" sample from the end of that track. It's evocative enough, but it's obviously not until "Sickening Ground" when the true feast begins; this album wastes no time announcing its intentions with an overture of darkly-melodic chords that quickly deviate to a very satisfying groovy slam section that feels predatory and engaging. The first thing that stands out to me here is the fantastic production, which details some surprisingly-excellent bass playing and which highlights each slam with a foundational clarity that I really appreciate. Some thuggish slams and punctuated ride cymbal usage begin "Posthumous Grief," a track featuring some contributed vocals by Kevin Muller (ex-Pyrexia, currently in The Merciless Concept) that feel like they elevate this to an early album highlight. This is also the longest track, and it contains a serpentine, winding structure that even features somewhat of a "slamdown" section that is tastefully put into play.

I really enjoy the combination of clever grooves, slightly-deviated slam phrasings, and tasteful time-signature switches this band plays with on this album. Seems like Insect Inside's greatest strengths lie in their ability to switch from "tech slam" to a very lowbrow, Soils of Fate-esque primal sound at the drop of a hat. Almost every track has some form of fun breakdown or blast-slam-to-catchy-riff transition, which leads to the album having pretty-high replayability. The title track, for example, has a very straightforward, charging section of chunky riffs right in the middle that dexterously oscillate between being underscored by blastbeats and being driven by quick fills and normative grooves. This is one of those albums that brings in a lot of different ideas in each track and never really focuses too heavily on any one idea for too long. Sometimes, albums that focus on tons of individual ideas don't really come across as cohesive, but The First Shining of New Genus succeeds where many have failed because the glue that holds it together is very strong songwriting in spite of these quick changes in direction.

Vocals here are not fantastic, though, I will say, and I think one of my only misgivings here lie in how plain and unenthusiastic the vocalist's performance is. Most of what he does is quite monotonous, though every now and then, he'll descend to an extremely-guttural gurgle that I think does at least something to bring a bit of variation into the picture. That said, the vocals, even during the lower sections, sound very dry and almost cut into the slams in a way that feels a bit unfortunate. A touch of reverb or some equalization to get them integrated into the mix more would probably be a good call, but I realize this is probably nit-picking.

The second track with guest vocals is also superb, and it features Kirill of Disfigurement of Flesh (who share a drummer with this band... said drummer was also the founder of Insect Inside, just for the record) with some very solid vociferations. The breakdown at about 2:41 is one of my favorite slams in recent memory, so that definitely counts for something, and the next few tracks keep up a very high level of quality and seem to highlight the bass playing to a greater extent than the first half or so. It was a pleasure to hear Roman (of Abnormity fame) provide some solid vocals to the final track, as well. Man, Abnormity kicked ass; they're probably never coming back but bands like this are doing some killer work in their stead when it comes to Russian slam. I look forward to following the future of Insect Inside, and I'm glad Gore House Productions put this out... as I mentioned in the Infected Humans review from last week, this label seems like one to continuously watch out for, as they seem to have a good eye for upcoming talent. This is where I sign off and continue to listen to this solid-as-fuck disc on repeat... see ya next time, devotees!

Relevant Links:
Insect Inside - The First Shining of New Genus (official direct Bandcamp link)
Gore House Productions (official website)

Infected Humans - Unexpected Traumatic Experiences (2021; Gore House Productions)

Howdy all. As I get back into the swing of writing reviews of brutal death metal, I figured it'd be a good exercise to go in blind to an album, namely this one: Unexpected Traumatic Experiences, a 9 song (plus into and outro) release by a new Ecuadorian band called Infected Humans. This dropped on Gore House Productions just about a month ago, so it's some rather-freshly-served brutality to punish your eardrums with. The label in question here released one of the best slam albums in quite a while in 2020, Glam Not Slam by Engutturalment Cephaloslamectomy, so I'm hoping this at least marches to a similar beat, though even if it does, it'll certainly do so in a less humorous and parodical way. One more thing about Gore House before we start: they are due to release the new Insect Inside album next Friday, and the few singles that have come out have been great. I'll link to one of those below in the Relevant Links section, but for now: onwards to the write-up!

I think Encystment is the only other Ecuadorian slam I know of (but Logan might prove me wrong: his memory of this stuff is sadly better than mine these days; just gonna blame alcohol), and their album out last year on NSE was decent enough shit, but this seems right off the bat to be a very different beast, at least after the intro provides a bit of a creepy atmosphere. The riffing in the first song, "Killing Perservately Depressed," is surprisingly deft and catchy with some suppurating melodies and unusually-haunting ringing chords providing some interest to the writing. The snare is loud, resonant, and pingy, of course, but it also has a weirdly deep tone to it that feels distracting, especially because the riffs are darkly-atmospheric and honestly quite cool.

I wish the guitar tone were a little beefier here, because some of what's happening is truly interesting and almost "epic," but it just feels like it's missing a little something to make it great. I will also say that the vocals are definitely on the mediocre side of things a lot of the time, and the lack of cadence/how amorphous they feel is disappointing. At times, it almost sounds like the guitarist belongs in a different band entirely, which is something I've noticed in some other South American (particularly Colombian) brutal death metal bands, but there are definitely also times where this comes together pretty damn well. Take 1:54 of "Bloodthirsty Sacrifice," which has a killer straightforward riff and groovy drum pattern that sticks around in your head for a bit. It's one of those sections you wish the band would develop and build on, but of course, they charge right into another track.

Luckily, the track they stumble onto is one of the better ones, "Calcining Human Flesh," and that is due in no small part to a smart, groovy intro section and an abundance of blast-slams, which are a great invention that I wish more bands would utilize. Again, however, the vocals are just not good or well-mixed, and even the guest vocal spots feel poorly handled in one capacity or another. As an aside, I'm glad the sample usage here is on the minimal end of things, but most of the time I really would just prefer that bands dispensed with sample-usage at all (other than for atmospheric purposes and only if it actually feels necessary to establish the mood of the album). Anyway, a few more tracks go by, full of well-written and cool riffs that feel generally unsupported by the rhythm section and poor vocals, until we hit the penultimate track, "Chaotic Biological Organization," which sounds totally different from the rest of the album for some reason. It's mixed differently, has weirdly-good (and quite loud) contrapuntal bass playing, and features a more groovy mood to it that I find intriguing, if unusual and "off" somehow. It's also a bit more technical by turns, with some time-signature changes and stop-on-a-dime sections that I would've liked to have heard more of peppered throughout the album. Not really sure what's going on here, but whatever. There's even a part that reminds me of The Dillinger Escape Plan or some other mathcore at about 2:35, so that's weird.

Overall, this is a fine album, but not one that is mind-blowing or spectacular. It has its strengths and its weaknesses, its moments and its misgivings. It's one of those records that I'm not sure I would particularly recommend, but it also doesn't feel like one I would tell people to avoid. Give it a shot, though, and maybe you'll dig it. Gore House Productions seems like a good label to support, and it makes me happy to see smaller slam labels start developing solid rosters. Also, definitely keep an eye on this blog for a review of the aforementioned Insect Inside once it drops next week. Until next time, stay sick and brutal!

Relevant Links:
Infected Humans - Unexpected Traumatic Experiences (official direct Bandcamp link)
Gore House Productions (official website)

We Have Returned... + review of Anal Stabwound - The Visceral Sovereign (2021; Inherited Suffering Records)

 taps mic

Hey, is this thing on? Does Blogger still exist..? Now, wait just a second... I remember, back in my day, this used to be called Blogspot, Blogger. 🙄 Christ. Anyway, where do I even start? It's no secret that Slam-Minded has been on a really long hiatus. Life has been crazy, of course, given the global pandemic and just the general state of the world (gestures broadly at everything), but it seems like the tides have turned in the world of brutal death metal, and we've been getting a lot of really high-quality releases recently. Maybe all of these perverted psychopaths that comprise the slam bands of the world have just felt cooped-up and unable to properly express their sadistic rage throughout quarantine or something, but all I know is that releases from bands such as Ecchymosis, Decortication, Putrescent Seepage, and more have really blown me away over the past few months, and I haven't been as excited for the present and potential near-future of slam since the good ol' days, so that there is my reason to declare slam class back in session.

Grab your pencils, and prepare to take notes on the first topic in about five years...

Anal. Stabwound.

Yeah, really dumb name, and trust me, I get that. However, the name is absolutely the only not-mindblowing thing about this, a recently-formed project by a 15-year-old slam prodigy by the name of Nikhil Talwalkar. I have no idea how he does it; for all I know, he's a laboratory experiment that has taken the form of a small, long-haired, seemingly-emotionless teenager from Connecticut who performs solo covers of relatively-obscure slam tracks in a gorgeous loft studio at his house. I'm sure his parents are fans of the music, because I just can't imagine him getting all of the gear he has without their permission or knowledge, and I especially can't picture him shouting "alright, mom, I'll be down for dinner in five minutes, just let me finish my cover of 'Intravenous Semen Rehydration'!"

Anyway, I'm already getting off-topic, so let's shift our focus back. This kid is basically a genius, and it's fitting that we begin Slam-Minded once again with renewed vigor by diving into what could potentially become a future classic in our favored genre of sociopathic, ugly music.

The Visceral Sovereign is a lengthy and extremely-ambitious debut album that just dropped recently on Inherited Suffering Records (maybe you've heard of 'em before; y'know, the label that put out Ezophagothomia's debut... that one) and it is, put simply, one of the finest slabs of brutality that I have heard in a long time, written and performed by a single teenager, with a calculated finesse and a rather-intense focus and weightiness to it, while still deviating from some known formulas in intriguing ways, lending the album some devious memorability and surprising catchiness, perhaps sometimes in spite of its long running-time.

The album begins with a ringing, overture-like chord that immediately reminded me of something Condemned might have done in the days of Realms of the Ungodly, though it quickly becomes a blast-fest of epic proportions with chunky riffs and intense gutturals mingling with a surprisingly-sinister atmosphere that brings to mind Disentomb and the aforementioned Ezophagothomia with a blasting technique that is almost Putridity-like. Now, those are some great bands to be compared to right off the bat, and this wastes no time slamming everything in its wake. 1:40 into the very first track, "Spewed Forth From Ash," contains a disgusting slow slam that sets the tone for the next 53 minutes, which you're undoubtedly going to spend slavishly-headbanging to this absolutely killer release.

The scooped intro riff that starts the second track gave me "slamcore" vibes at first, which was a bit unnerving, but my fears were quickly allayed by a dexterous string-skipping section punctuated by lightspeed blasts and appropriately-placed pinch harmonics, somewhat like a combination of older Pathology and Putridity. The tasty, flavorful ride punctuations used in the drumming on this track (titled "Embryonic Encephalopathy;" brutal) are quite a bit more high-brow than you'd ever expect from a kid this age. In fact, pretty much all of this is superbly and tastefully-executed with a wildly-diverse scope of influences that really runs the gamut from atmospheric, darker undertones to the kind of jaw-droppingly technical and off-the-wall concepts Lille of Defeated Sanity fame utilizes quite a bit, especially in terms of drumming style/fills.

"Kingdom of Filth" is probably the least-good song here, as it feels a bit generic by comparison with some of the other stuff on order here, but we haven't even gotten to the part of the album that stacks three songs with run-times of 7+ minutes each almost right on top of one another. Seriously, it's pretty nuts, but we'll get to it soon. The slams in this track are kinda meat-and-potatoes, and the blasting deviations feel rather rote when looked at in a vacuum, but I can see this track operating as kind of a "microcosm" of the album in a sense, sort of showing off a taste of what this kid can do within the span of five or so minutes. There is a nice, slow, churning slam a little more than halfway through that opens back up into a weirdly epic moment featuring triumphant melodies, so maybe I'm being a little hard on it, after all. I'm rusty at this, and you're just going to have to deal with that. Sorry, not sorry.

The next couple tracks are excellent, functioning as an early "mid-point" of the album that shows a swing into a higher gear that has it developing into a more direct and cohesive whole with some disturbing and grotesque deviations along the way. The lurching slam at about 3:14 into "Endoparasitic Abomination" is a highlight of that track, showing off some sick rhythmic interplay that feels unique but still concretely "slam" in execution.

Track 5, "Fetal Feast," is of note as it is the first song on the album with a guest vocal feature. Now, this feature is probably the least exciting of the four that are on here, as I have no idea who the kid doing the vocals is (apparently his name is Jeron and he's the sole member of a project called Backyard Cannibalism that is very likely not as good as this) or what parts are actually him and what parts are Nikhil, but it is a feature nonetheless. Going forward in the album, as we reach the part where things get truly bonkers, there are three more features: the mighty Ángel Ochoa (ex-Condemned, Cephalotripsy) on track 7, the prolific Larry Wang (Coprocephalic, Gorepot, etc.) on track 9, and that other guy Jonathan Huber (ex-Pathology, ex-I Declare War) on track 10. The title track is where things start getting amazing, so we're not even close to done yet.

At a length of 7:26, and with an opening like that (fucking sinister and foreboding as hell!), "The Visceral Sovereign" barrels forth with a set of subtly-epic riffs and a slower, more carefully-developing pace that remains subdued despite the speed of the blasts placed throughout. A darkly-melodic solo pops out just after the 2-minute mark, followed by some off-time, syncopated chunky riffs and dexterous blasts/fills. Also of note here is a section at 2:56 that seems like an homage to Defeated Sanity's "The Purging" (around 3:44 in that track), and you have no idea how much I literally just agonized over trying to remember exactly what "weird jazzy DS moment" that reminded me of. Anyway, this track just keeps fucking going and somehow never gets boring or stagnant, and even has some curveball change-ups in the form of dissonant chords that lend a harrowing atmosphere to the proceedings.

Ángel's feature in "Demiurge of Abhorrence" is disgusting, as expected, and the track itself is utterly fucking nuts right from the very beginning... case-in-point: what the absolute shit is happening at 21 seconds in? That riff/section would be absolutely-bonkers and insane for any band, never mind the fact that this is composed entirely by a literal child who can't even legally drive a car yet. It's so surreal to hear this and understand that, and I feel like I'm constantly flabbergasted by the quality of the composition and performance here. The very first few moments of "Disjunct Savagery" sound like a very Defeated Sanity inspired segment as well, and there are some slams here and there that really bring to mind stuff like Abnormity or Abominable Putridity in how fun yet caveman-like they are in their brutal simplicity.

Up next is the longest track, a monstrous 8-and-a-half-minute beast, awesomely-titled "Temporal Dissection" (cool/semi-nonsensical two-word song names are a weakness of mine, I admit). This track has some supreme Guttural Secrete vibes, specifically in its bringing together of a certain savage primality and a precision-laced assault of understated melodic elements in the service of an unnerving atmosphere. And, let's be honest, it's hard not to think of GS when considering slam/BDM tracks with disturbing qualities and longer run-times (recall "Clotting the Vacant Stare" off Nourishing the Spoil, if you would). Just about exactly halfway through this track a moment of calm arises, centered around an otherwise-empty, chorus-laden bass section that eventually coalesces into a furious hyper-blast surrounded by insistent slams. As it slows down again, Larry Wang's reverberating squeals and gutturals make themselves known among the deconstruction and subsequent rebuilding of intense heaviness as the track reaches finality by bringing back a surprisingly-melodic and epic riff from about 5 minutes prior. Now that's songwriting! Did I mention this dude is a fucking prodigy?!

The final track lays on the Disentomb-esque apocalyptic sensibilities pretty thick immediately, featuring some unusual and satisfying dissonance just like that band is known for, though the slams that come next are super-thick and thuggish which isn't something the referenced band is well-known for. This is a really good choice for an album closer, as it really focuses on density in composition... I mean, there's even another pretty good (albeit brief) solo that comes out of absolutely nowhere. The tempo-shifting/tempo-modulated slams at around the 3 minute mark are a highlight here for sure, and the genius of utilizing an element like that just a couple minutes after a more-straightforward/typical 8-noter is absolutely 100% not lost on me. 4:22 gives me extreme Organectomy vibes in how lurching and atypical (yet at the same time extremely-catchy) the particular slam construction is, and the last minute features some disgusting descending slams with triplet double-kick flair just because, y'know, Nikhil's just flexing on everyone, no big deal, whatever. This is just crazy good and, y'know what? It is one of the extreme few examples of an album of this type going absolutely hard-as-fuck for over 50 minutes without losing steam or ever getting uninteresting for longer than thirty-seconds at a time. He knows how to write this type of music, and it doesn't ever sound forced or lazy. It's super natural sounding and that is important to me. As a long-time supporter of this scene, and as someone with a very keen ear for what is and isn't phoned-in, tacky, and/or unnecessary in this specific type of music, I can with certainty say that this kid is going places. He's more talented than most other people playing brutal death metal of any type, and I can't wait to see what he does next. For one Nikhil Talwalkar, the only thing to do is to ascend into the highest echelons of slamminess, and I hope I have convinced you, faithful Slam-Minded reader, to follow his journey as well.

Below are links to his YouTube channel, as well as a link to Inherited Suffering's Bandcamp page so you can throw your hard-earned cash at this young man and the label that has placed its trust in him. 2021 seems like it will be a great year, as (in mine and Logan's opinion, anyway) slam seems to be undergoing a much-needed renaissance, and therefore I'm excited to say that it's both extremely weird and superbly-gratifying to be able to declare Slam-Minded existent once again! Hopefully now we can try to not have five year gaps between posts; fingers crossed, eh?

Until next time...

Stay fucking brutal and sick, fellow brutal death metal devotees...

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Relevant Links:

Anal Stabwound - The Visceral Sovereign (official direct Bandcamp link)

Nikhil T (official YouTube channel)

Inherited Suffering Records (official website)

Injury Deepen - Anthropophagous Realm (2016; New Standard Elite)

Injury Deepen are not a new band, but I'm not personally familiar with their 2012 debut or their earlier demo material. The music on Anthropophagous Realm, their 2016 release on New Standard Elite, is seemingly a combination of influences with a rather wide range for brutal death metal, all filtered and directed into a 26-minute assault.

The first track blasts off with aplomb, reminding me instantly of some of the more well-known BDM that came out of Europe around the turn of the century/millennium. The blasting technique and chunky, semi-blurred riffs remind me of Disavowed and Pyaemia, for instance, but I also pick up some Severe Torture-like twists and turns here. Disgorge is a definite reference point as well, as this brings to mind the raw, straightforward brutality and Matti Way vocal attack of She Lay Gutted decently often in my mind. Riffs generally feel bouncy and well-constructed, with obvious melodic moments eschewed in favor of rhythmic interplay with the drum patterns. This is a bit of a weird album because it sounds next-to-nothing like most stuff coming out of Indonesia. I was confused upon first listen because, hey, it's not very much like Jasad at all! All joking aside, that's a great thing here, and it's a breath of fresh air to hear something coming out these days that reminds me of the "old" 2000s BDM scene where there wasn't even a hard-and-fast divide between slam and BDM as there tends to be these days. Production is generally pretty solid, highlighting the obscene low-end rumble of the bass (which is even well-played at times; always nice to hear in stuff like this) and serving to highlight the hefty guitar tone. The drumming is serviceable and definitely to-style, but there are times where I feel it could sound a bit better or be more compositionally-interesting. Overall, though, those parts are few and far between and the rhythm section is pretty damn good and appropriately brutal-sounding.

There are a few really good "semi-melodic" sections with epic, marching rhythms that remind me a bit of mid-era Deeds of Flesh, as well. One of these features on the excellently-titled "Throne of Mangled Flesh," in which it actually acts as a kind of mini-chorus. That brings me to something else of note here: songwriting. Songwriting is one of the most make-it-or-break-it parts of brutal death metal, at least to me. You can have tons of slams and blast at 250+ BPM or whatever, but if there isn't a good groundwork, it's all kind of worthless in the end. Luckily, the boys in Injury Deepen understand this and often choose to focus on only several handpicked riffs per song, developing each to its logical conclusion and then switching things up in some way or another, whether that be transitioning from slow to fast tempo or throwing in a fill that leads to a continuation that flows well. One of the best moments on the album for this occurs right in the middle of the album, during "Intimate Dissection Ritual." A groovy chug riff drives right into a faster blasty/overly-complicated riff somewhat like something off the newest Disentomb before just absolutely bombing right into one of the best slams I've heard in recent memory. This breakdown even features some interesting basswork (though you have to pay attention as it's subtle) and pretty much continues until the end of the song. It's just absolutely massive and made even more destructive by the relative lack of big "slammy" breakdowns on the album.

Another one of my favorite things about this album would be the amazing attention paid to vocal phrasing. This guy might have a somewhat "generic" voice, but the way he fits himself into these snaking rhythms is usually pretty genius (just listen to the way the first song erupts: dude knows what he's doing). It's one of the few modern brutal death albums that I could see myself learning the lyrics to just to growl along with the album. It's really satisfying to me when this guy belts out rapid-fire verses, for some reason.

Overall, this is a really good brutal death metal album that sounds very much not like something from 2016. That isn't a bad thing at all, however, and this will definitely rekindle your lust for older-school BDM. The combination of chunky, riff-based writing and the album's short length assure that you'll get a lot of spins out of Anthropophagous Realm. Time to dust off your old CDs by bands from the 2000s Unique Leader and Unmatched Brutality rosters; Injury Deepen's about to show you that they can jam just like you remembered those albums do!

Mortal Decay - The Blueprint for Blood Spatter (2014; Comatose Music)

“Could this head belong to a young adult female…”

Oh Mortal Decay, we have such a love / hate relationship.  Sickening Erotic Fanaticism is one of my favourite records from the 90’s, mixing great death metal riffage with some incredibly heavy breakdowns similar to Suffocation,  all the while keeping things fresh and fun. It was, and still is a great listen, I’d even go as far to call it an underrated classic. But after that, things went downhill fast with Forensic and Cadaver Art, which while competent albums, really did nothing for me in the long run. I had given up on them like so many other acts I’d once loved, and to be honest, I wasn’t too excited when I’d heard about their reunion.  I came into The Blueprint for Blood Spatter quite skeptical to say the least, I thought it would be mediocre at best.  Good god was I ever wrong.

The Blueprint for Blood Splatter is everything I could’ve ever wanted from Mortal Decay, and more, with quite a few surprises that one would not expect from the stereotypical Brutal Death Metal album.  As one would expect, all the Brutal Death Metal stereotypes are here, riff salads, blast beats, slow and punishing breakdowns / slams, and indecipherable vocals, but it’s all used in a fresh and varied way that keeps you interested the entire way through. A lot of thought and care has been put into the compositions here, and it shows.

Instrumentally, everything is on point here. John Hartman (Waking The Cadaver) and Joe Gordon handle guitar duties, and do a bang up job of it. They’ve kept the old school feel while adding in some newer influences (some passages sound like Nile and Decrepit Birth), and even add  in some black metal flavour that not many bands of their ilk would be brave enough to do. Take "Nocuous Compulsions" for example, the beginning riff sounds like something you would hear off an Endstille album, but with a little more crunch and groove added in for good effect. The break halfway in even sounds like something Nightbringer would do.

The low end is just as impressive. Anthony Ipri is impeccable on drums, with punishing blastbeats, fills, and lots of groove. There’s a lot more variety on the kit than one would expect, all the while not being overly flashy or pretentious. Monty Mukerji does a wonderful job on bass as well, and you can even hear the bass (!), which is a rarity in this style. It doesn’t seem like he’s just following what the guitarists do either, he adds his own little fills and what I can only assume are slaps, which adds a bouncy and fun nature to the songs that would otherwise not be there.

But what has to be the icing on the cake is Danny Nelson’s (of Malignancy fame) vocals. He is on top of his game here, utilizing a wide variety of vocal techniques, every one of them as ferocious as the last. "Mourning Euphoria" is a great example of this, with Danny jumping from some pretty impressive, and almost decipherable death growls, into some pretty wet and disgusting gutturals, and even adding in some highs that gave me goosebumps.  His vocal phrasing is impressive as well, with every line he utters fitting in and complimenting the accompanying music perfectly.

I must say I am ecstatic to hear Mortal Decay back with such ferocity, and I gladly admit that I was wrong to ever doubt them.  I implore all of you who are into acts like Suffocation, Devourment, and even older Cannibal Corpse, pick this up as soon as possible. And for the love of god, pick up their back catalogue and give it a thorough listen, you won’t be disappointed.

Down From The Wound - Violence And The Macabre (2014; Comatose Music)

Down From The Wound are finally back, bringing their early-Suffocation and Devourment influenced slam death to life once again. Returning to the style of their debut, Agony Through Rituals Of Self-Purification (1/8/14 note: I still have the shirt from when the debut was released 7 years ago... jeez, it's been a while, eh?) and seeking to improve upon it in almost every aspect, this was definitely a hotly-anticipated album of mine when it was first announced. The album opens up with a rolling slam assault featuring very creative drumming and a touch of old-school charm that really harkens back to some of the best slam riffs ever written here and there. Halfway through the first song, for instance, there's a full-stop change-up that leads to a completely new section, very much like in the classic "Postmortal Coprophagia" by the masters themselves. The vocal performance seems rather flat and unengaging compared to some other bands, but it's not bad and keeps time very well, alternating slightly between a dark, one-dimensional growl to a more guttural vociferation that does, every now and then, hit the spot intensely.

The structure of these songs is typically fantastically detailed, with lots of amusing flourishes and creative deviations from the tropes of slam, all the while still staying purely in bounds of the whole "third world slam" phenomenon that DFTW has always been squarely at the center of (at least to me and some others I know, anyhow... you know who you are!). The way riffs pile up and crash down with spastic aplomb while the tight yet similarly intense drumming spastically hurries to keep up is just intense and satisfying, and the production this time is particularly detailed towards bringing out the best of each member. "Hypocritical Repentance" has this insanely well built-up slam section that, after a measure, just kind of ceases... until you realize it's building up for an even bigger, more amazing slam. That kind of transition is something very few bands have ever attempted, let alone mastered, and this album has these kinds of things all over the place. Some really amusing chuggy grooves pop out here and there that don't quite really become (or have the capability to become) full-fledged slams, and the band rides on them for adequate periods before deciding to switch to a blasty or rolling section focused on a few new riffs. DFTW has always been really good at writing music, that much is certain, but each track feels much more distinct on this album than on the debut, and that's pretty high praise considering that "Agony..." is a fantastically-well-crafted album in its own right, combining technicality and grittiness into a slam masterpiece that I feel has always been kind of overlooked compared to the more well-produced stuff coming out of Russia, the Americas or Europe as a whole. Consequently, I've always considered the Filipino slam scene as kind of a cousin to Colombian/Sudamerican slam with its eye towards chaos at all times, yet firmly entrenched in a singular, devastating approach that can never and will never be compromised.

Once again, in a manner similar to the debut, DFTW has crafted a multitude of fairly-lengthy songs that all go through twists and turns before arriving at endings that are either extremely cathartic or that feel pent-up, ready to unleash the chaos and brutality in the next riff, the next slam, the next section. "Schematic Fraud" begins with a section much like the latter example, with the fury of the previous track wrapping up seemingly out of nowhere, collapsing into a controlled devastation of quick slams and semi-melodic riffs punctuated by amusing, upbeat snare flourishes before the song reaches its climactic, intense midpoint leading to a very powerful, tension-building slam at the end. "Beyond The Depths Of Epidemic Abortion" (what a title, guys) reminds me a bit of mid-to-later period Cenotaph in its spazziness and inability to stick with a time signature for more than four seconds throughout that first major section, but DFTW quickly regain control and develop a 9-note slam motif that becomes a 10-note slam with the addition of a threatening, predatory half-step making the proceedings all too carnivorous. The variance in drumming on this release is one of the major things keeping me coming back, honestly; the slams and general flow of the album are intensely great, but Randyl's detailed and multifaceted attention to his kit is commanding of a lot of attention on this album, catapulting it into the realm of some of the best feral, technical slam I've heard... ever. I'm sure Lille from Defeated Sanity is an influence on Randyl, and it shows in the slight cymbal pulls and snare highlights, where he chooses to switch from a blurred snare blast to a particularly clean, resonant, bright ping that punctuates sweet-spots in slams.

The title track is a devastating assault of evil tremolo and slam combinations that wear out the listener within the first thirty seconds; just as an attention-deficit slam makes an appearance before switching back to the Deeds of Flesh-like picking aspects and complex iterations of the main riff return drastically, ready to break your neck as the four-piece stumbles into several blasty sections before they break it all down again with a catchy slam punctuated by ride and china crashes. Then begins probably one of the most epic slams on this album; the kind of shit that just makes you stop what you're doing and worship the breakdown. Featuring a nine-noter into hanging chords before becoming a slightly-slower and more intense version, this is the crowning achievement so far; a centerpiece slam if there ever was one! The rest of the album features lots of ups and downs, but I'm just not into doing track-by-tracks anymore, so let it be said that this will easily be one of the best slam albums of 2014, and if anyone has a problem with that, they'll have to answer to me (and I defend my opinions very strongly). Listening to this reminds me of just starting this blog, as that was around when DFTW was really coming into their own.

It's insane to me that this was so long in the making; not because it doesn't seem like they improved in that time (faaaaar from that, actually... the chops, production and personality are way ahead of "Agony..." on this one), but because it reminds me of Slam-Minded's humble beginnings. My interview with Randyl was one of the first things I remember working with Nick on collaboratively. When we landed it, I felt like an honest-to-goodness superstar, and I couldn't have been more happy at that time. Lots of things have happened to bring me to where I am now, and I can tell that the songwriters of Down From The Wound have also been affected as profoundly by the years; they have emerged from that time period as frontrunners of technical yet raw slam death, dedicated unwaveringly and tirelessly to intense, complex and forward-thinking brutality on "Violence And The Macabre"; brutality that somehow never ceases to impress throughout its immensely long running time of approximately 50 minutes. The rabid and vicious switches between sections on this album just feel necessary and weighty; these are things some clinical "slam" will never achieve... a true feeling of predatory sickness with an aim specifically to deliver pure brutality and intensity to the listener, but not without meaning. On the contrary, every song here feels like it has a place in the whole, and, although several listens will probably be necessary to catch some of the more specific nuances, it is worth each and every one. A hearty round of applause to the reigning masters of Filipino slam death!

(As a side note, this album has one of those weird, semi-pointless, feedback-laden "interlude" things almost exactly like Putridity's "Wallowing In Aftermaths" from Degenerating Anthropological Euphoria. What the fuck are these? They're retarded and awesome. I need to come up with a name for this if it's gonna keep happening. Defeated Sanity even had some version of one at the end of "Verblendung" off their newest album, though that was even more bizarre. These should have a name and more bands should have them; I think this is a chance for one of the crazier tropes of slam to have a real pull... just sayin'... I mean, I did coin "funeral slam", after all, and that's gotta count for something...)

Cognitive - Cognitive (2014;Pathologically Explicit Recordings)

Well, here we are once again with some album reviews, that make's it one article a year? We've really got to get our shit together, haha.

That being said, Cognitive are a little known five-piece based out of New Jersey, USA. They play a slightly hardcore-tinged style of brutal technical death metal with obvious nods to the genres creators Suffocation, and even some to fellow New Jerseyites (Jerseyers? I have no idea), Waking The Cadaver. Expect some incredibly technical playing, massive grooves, crushing blastbeats, and surprisingly enunciated vocals.

The guitar playing, handled by Jake Iannaco and Rob Wharton is incredibly busy, while at the same time being tasteful, melodic, and oddly enough, progressive. From the guitar leads and solos on World's Beneath, to the atmospheric playing near the end of The Aftermath, their guitar playing encompasses everything one would want from this genre. The guitar tone also reminds me of newer Waking The Cadaver, although with more heft and clarity, which is a great thing.

The low end is quite impressive as well, being held down by Mike Castro on drums, and Art Sikora on bass. The drumming, while nothing that will make your jaw drop, accentuates the riffs perfectly, and never seems to be technical just for the sake of it. The bass player holds his own as well, and although I wish the production would allow him to be heard a little bit more, which is my only real nitpick, he does an admirable job.

The vocals could be the make it or break it thing for most people though, as Jorel Hart isn't the typical vocalist for this style. He's guttural while still enunciating quite well, but also jumps into some pseudo-hardcore style vocals. They may not be guttural enough for the average Brutal Death Metal / Slam fan, but at the same time they might be a bit too out there for the standard Death Metal fan. At the end of the day though, for me, I have come to greatly enjoy his vocal style.

I must say, I'm truly surprised these guys aren't blowing up. The songwriting chops employed on this record are stupendous, everything fits perfectly. The musicianship on here is as about as good as you'll find in the genre. And hell, their style easily crosses over from Tech Death, to Brutal Death, to Hardcore, and should appeal to fans of all three genres. This is a must buy for me.

SLAM SHOW REVIEW: 10/27 - Wormed, Condemned, Infernal Revulsion, Cognitive, Parasitic Extirpation

Welcome back to Slam-Minded, kids! I know many have been waiting for a return from us here for many months, so when I heard that this insanely brutal lineup was to make a stop through Cambridge, MA, where I would just so happen to be the night before for a beer-related event, I knew it was destiny that I'd attend, headbang and eventually write up my thoughts. So, here goes... be easy on me, I'm a tad rusty at writing about things that don't begin with 'b' and end with 'r'.

I brought along my buddy Chris, who is rather new to slam and interested in learning more about it, who brought his girlfriend along. Also in attendance was another good friend who left somewhat early during the show in order to get reasonable sleep for the start of his work-week (wimp). Anyway, although Chris is very willing to delve further into slam, his girlfriend was previously unaware of our lovely genre, but I think the show might have been a good conversion for her. The venue was the Cambridge Elks Lodge on Bishop Allen Drive, and we thought it was supposed to open at 5, but it turned out the doors were at 6, and, indeed, when we arrived at 5:05, the bands hadn't even shown up to load in yet. So in true time-wasting fashion, we hit up one of the best local bars (Lord Hobo, of course) in the area and returned to the scene, where a massive crowd of dudes in black shirts was pouring in to the shoddy basement. Oh yeah, awesome setting for a slam event! Extremely ratty and run-down looking, this Elks Lodge has clearly seen better days, but these seedy environs would soon prove themselves worthy of a true beatdown.

Parasitic Extirpation was first up, and I was surprised to see Mallika of Abnormality grab the mic and begin to do her check along with the other members. Didn't know she was doing vocals for them these days but, then again, I don't really pay as much attention as I used to, admittedly. The band only played about 20 minutes (5 or so songs), but they were surprisingly good. I remember I had some criticism about their Knee Deep in Disease EP from way back in the day (2008, for the S-M OGs among you all), but overall, I didn't find the release bad, and tonight they were in rare form with big, pit-opening slams, Mallika tearing through the crowd while vocalizing all manner of ugliness and perversion, and fantastic drumming. The biggest letdown for this band were the absolutely stupid, pointless wanky solos that pervaded every single song with pretentious bullshit shredding. I hate crap like this; one second I'm listening to a great slam, then all the power is just sucked out and wasted on a song-dividing solo that doesn't improve the music in any meaningful way. Definitely looked like he was just playing them cuz they felt "cool", not because they were actually supportive of the songs. Also, the vocal mixing was poor, and could have been tweaked to make Mallika much louder, as she was fairly quiet and, though she looked powerful doing her thing, not much of that power was sonically conveyed. Then again, when I've seen Abnormality before, it's been almost the same kind of deal, so I don't know. Regardless, pretty great slams when they were happening, very varied and interesting drum-work, solid playing in spite of distracting solos, and very heavy, brutal sound. They got me moving several times, so that's cool, as I feel like I'm pretty slam-jaded in some ways.

Cognitive is a band I've never heard of, although they are apparently tech-death and from NJ. Seems like they'd be the odd ones out on this bill, right? Not really, as it happens. They slammed quite a bit, playing some fast, blasty songs with lots of satisfying time changes. Vocally excellent with a commanding and heavy riff presence (despite not having a bassist), this band was fairly good at making brutal music, though not entirely unique or well-thought-out, as a lot of tech-death can happen to be. One thing that was amusing and a bit distracting with them, though, was that both guitarists would at times just kind of randomly seize about and make bizarre movements that seemed very forced and goofy, not matching the precision and exacting nature of the music. Their newest music seemed a lot more slammy, which was cool, but jarred a bit with some of the more spastic stuff they jammed out earlier in the set. Bonus points for interesting lead-work; almost every song had some kind of cool lead that basically involved heavily-effected single note picking, similar to In-Quest, particularly on their album Epileptic. I just realized there's an amusing link between that album's title and the members of the band spazzing about, but I digress. Not bad, but the best was yet to come.

Condemned... this band and I have an interesting past, one that happens to have begun with quarrel, though it led to eventual contentment. As one of those curmudgeonly people who found Desecrate the Vile to be an intensely tiring, one-dimensional release of boring slam-and-blast blur, I recall approaching Realms of the Ungodly with trepidation, both because the art and change in aesthetic direction seemed really cool and I was worried about them screwing it up, and because longer songs in the same style brought on a bit of a bitter taste. Luckily, they switched up their playing style a little bit, injecting some great atmosphere, and a lot of these aspects came together just great live. Angel's vocals were powerful and brutal, though a bit less gurgly/goofy than on albums, which was a disappointment. Forrest was blasting away intensely for the majority of the set, as they tackled most of the songs on Realms... (somehow leaving out "Submerged unto Phlegethon", which was just lame and unfortunate in my opinion... maybe something to do with the fact that another Phlegethon was there; Wormed's vocalist!), with a few from Desecrate... for good measure. Those were fine in the flesh, which I was satisfied with; I had a distinct feeling they would be, as their blurry and straightforward style works a lot better when you're not picking everything apart like with an album review. One of the best things about Condemned is that their slams are very unpredictable and often switch halfway through to a blasting section or similar change-up that can convincingly bewilder many troglodytic spinkickers in the pit, as was observed somewhat often during the entirety of their set. The slightly manipulative nature of their music worked very well in this basement-like atmosphere, and they had really great, heavy sound that filled the whole room. Angel was funny with his overwhelmed, end-of-tour banter between songs (my favorite moments included calling Infernal Revulsion "Infernal Convulsion", laughing and correcting himself, as well as when he couldn't read his own writing on the setlist attached to one of the cabinets and announced the wrong song before catching himself and commenting on it hurriedly), and you could tell he was just trying to bang songs out without much delay. It worked well with the hurried, semi-sloppy way the songs can appear to be constructed, especially apparent when Forrest's kick rolls or gravity blasts would go on just slightly too long or not long enough. Pretty killer set here, though I wish I had been closer for it.

For Infernal Revulsion, I got my wish and moved up closer with Chris; so close, in fact, that if I headbanged any further forward, I would've hit one of the guitarist's headstocks! It was great to be so close to some live Japanese slam, and they really killed it with varied barking/gurgling/yelling vocal approaches, super low-tuned bass (that the dude played like an upright double bass with finger-picking; killer!) and some inventive riffs wrapped around a huge menagerie of beatdown-slams and catchy groove sections. They were absolutely fantastic live; some real slam-worship was going on here and there, and the band was super into it themselves; their lead singer just about cued every impending breakdown or switch-up with some full-body movement; intense! I have always been fond of Infernal Revulsion's way of writing slightly predatory slams; the way they leave notes hanging and how they get you into a big groove only to switch it up with a new rhythm or way of coupling the base notes are very effective ways to keep the crowd going and keep the pit full. I, of course, stay away from the pit because I'm a tiny person (for the record, if you were at the show, I was the short dude with the High & Mighty Beer Co. shirt on; cheers!), but I glanced behind me in between bouts of rhythmic headbanging to find many people stomping to the rhythm, so it must've been appropriately effective, anyway. Alright, now to the big thumbs-down about this set; the motherfucking kick drum. Dear god, why? I know Devastate Under Hallucination featured this too, but it was just wickedly overbearing in a live venue; extremely treble-y and clicky and louder than every other drum on the guy's kit... which was lame because he was a totally showboating, crazy performer and could clearly play well; he spun his sticks at just about every opportunity and engaged with the crowd during the last few songs in a very "80's hair metal" kind of way with the beckoning for applause and whatnot; amusing and a good change from the lack of personality many death metal drummers exhibit. I was glad to have been right up front for these guys; they were quite a bit of fun and their kind of singularly-focused groovy slam with heavy, charging rhythms was the perfect setup to the headliners of the night...

WORMED. Now, if you know me, you know I am an utter devotee of Planisphaerium, an album that changed how I think about metal when I first heard it, one that I know most of the lyrics and vocal phrasings of by heart and one that means quite a bit to me. When I first heard Exodromos, therefore, I was skeptical and a bit disappointed by the change. I know that the Quasineutrality EP represented a fairly significant change for them, but it still had the certain unabashed heaviness and animalistic, extraterrestrial nature of Wormed at their core. Thus, you can see why I may have been a bit disappointed with the new album. Actually, I'll come right out and say that I don't like it very much at all. The change in drummer has hurt them big time, Phlegz' vocals have been extremely neutered I feel, and the music got a lot more sterile and generically "technical" (disjointed is a better, more fitting word) without much reason behind it. Many of the heavy slam riffs from Planisphaerium were replaced by scratchier riffs with vague chugging, and the drumming lacks the intensity of the debut, instead focusing on clinical blasts with a peppering of cool sections, here and there remarkable but never consistently impressive. Anyway, enough about that, how were they live? In a word, disappointing... and it took me some reflection to admit that to myself just now. I didn't want to think it was under-par, but it just was; from the unbearably poorly-mixed vocals (great variation, cool tone obviously, but way too over-loud, and with some goofiness that was a bit out-of-place) to the utter lack of snare drum presence (when all I can hear are your cymbals in slam, there's certainly a problem) to the lack of heaviness coming out of Guillemoth's bass, this was a mixing disaster. All that and Phlegethon's vocal mic cut out several times. I appreciated the intermissions; static and noisy waves played between each song, announcing the title of the next-to-be-played track, but honestly, this time could've been used to tweak the sound so it was, y'know, good. Anyway, they didn't have an overall bad set; highlights included "Geodesic Dome", "Tunnel of Ions" (even though the vocal phrasing was poor), "Ylem" (including an EVEN SLOWER version of that breakdown) and "Tautochrone" (one of the only songs I really dig off the new album), but the taste in my mouth was a bit bitter, I must admit. I'm sure it was impressive to many people, and Wormed are definitely a band to follow due to their unique nature and willingness to experiment with a rather-apparently-stale genre, but I'm not a huge fan of their current direction, and this show was an awkward let-down in weird ways unlike what I expected.

oh yeah I got Condemned's setlist too, fuck yeah

So, how was the show? I haven't been to a nearly-purely-slam show in a good several years (maybe my own damn fault, but whatever), but it was damn good fun, and got me stomping and reconsidering how often I write for this blog... so that's a positive. Almost every band had negatives and slightly-disappointing aspects that drew my attention away here and there, but that's life. Slam is, in a sense, very similar to life in that way. Therefore, I implore all readers of S-M to keep slamming... we will be there for and with you, possibly with somewhat lacking frequency, but always in our brutal, putrid hearts.  Cheers!

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.

Lumpur - Skema Pembalasan Sempurna (2012; New Standard Elite Records)

According to Google Analytics, the Indonesian version of google, google.co.id, refers the most traffic of any country's google portal to Slam-Minded. We get more hits from Indonesia than Germany, Canada, or the UK. This tells me that there is a passion for brutal death metal in Indonesia so I thought I'd try to find a deserving Indonesian band to review.

Thanks to some recommendations I found a very deserving candidate in Lumpur, who hail from Bandung on the island of Java. After 9 years of silence (including a 6 year hiatus), Lumpur have released a short, but powerful EP entitled Skema Pembalasan Sempurna. I say powerful because Lumpur jam a lot of metal  into this EP's 14 minutes. I've heard full lengths with less brutal slamming than Skema Pembalasan Sempurna. Lumpur play an absolutely relentless style that, while not particular fast or harsh, continually flows over you and breaks you down (in a good way). The riffing doesn't stop, it just carries you along with it. Lumpur have definitely taken a more holistic approach to songwriting, which I think works exceptionally well for the EP format. Each individual song works together with the other songs on the album to create a complete work. This really speaks to Lumpur's songwriting skill.

The riffing style here definitely borrows from deathgrind, which I like. There's a backbone of chugging that the bass and drums stick to, while the guitar ventures out using tremolo riffs and pinch harmonics. There's definitely a subtlety here that again speaks to the skill of the band. They keep up  a steady beat of destruction  whereas a lot of other bands try too many things at once and thereby create a muddled mess. Skema Pembalasan Sempurna is not simple by any means, but Lumpur stick to a particular style, which makes the album a more unified and memorable experience.

I have still just begun exploring the world of Indonesian brutal death metal, but if there are more albums like this, I am sure that I will like what I find.

Abnormality - Contaminating the Hive Mind (2012; Sevared Records)

Abnormality have been kicking around for what seems like many years at this point, though it's really only been about 5 or 6 years since their first demo. I remember hearing them for the first time as a student interning at the university radio station. Mallika and co. would stop by infrequently, and, whether the occasion was a live show or an interview on radio, generally come off as the definition of "class acts." Hell, it was that radio station's headquarters where I bought a t-shirt directly from the band all those years ago. I think I sported it at MDF this year, too... look, now I'm getting all teary-eyed and nostalgic. Thanks guys...

Also, damn, look at that cover art.

Ahem... right... onto the music? I honestly don't think I can believe my eyes here; I actually have on my desk a copy of the Abnormality FULL-LENGTH ALBUM. This is a time I thought would never come. It's also over 30 minutes long and features 8 brutal as hell, spastic, sometimes-slamming, always-relentless twisters of deathgrind technicality. The CD opens with a blistering drum whirlwind with an equally off-kilter and fucked-up riff grinding away in the background. I particularly like the attention to bass the production has; I can hear a lot of slappy pops and things like that which show me the bassist is doing more than just following everything the guitarists are doing. The middle of the song sees the guitar doing a bit of flourishing lead-work, though it is quickly quelled and flows right back to the rolling, heavy and oppressive sound found earlier in the track, punctuated by staccato snare blasts and a lot of loud-as-hell kick drum.

One thing that is cool here that very rarely gets love in slam or brutal death metal in general would be tight vocal phrasing and great, evocative lyrics. Mallika is, of course, an awesome vocalist, but I never noticed that her lyric writing skills are almost on-par with her expressive growling and screaming. Most of the verse lines actually rhyme or come close (though they do use a lot of similar diction at times; not really a big deal and more of a truism than criticism, honestly), and if they don't, they tend towards similar phrasing so that the vocals actually hit cadence during verses. I just love this kind of shit; it isn't typical "bluuurgh" or pig-squeal stuff, there's thought going into vocal patterns and attention to how they fit into the music.

"A Chaos Reserved" also has a pretty nifty solo, and I like the lurching breakdown right after that incorporates phasing on the rhythm guitar... neat and clean effect that makes the track stick out in my mind. "Fabrication of the Enemy" sounds a little bit Colombian, as the blasting is of the gravitational variety and
 the riffs are bizarre and squeaky-clean. There's an American-ness to the production, but its glossy sheen doesn't really bury anything, instead opting for fairly loud compression that attempts to give head-space to every instrument. There are times when the kick drum is really much too loud, especially when it is overlapping with the snare during blasts, and I miss a lot of what the cymbals are doing, but the suffocating aura exuded by ten tons of gravity blasts every track quickly remind me that I don't particularly care. This track even has a funeral-ish slam that really comes straight out of nowhere and descends to a semi-old-school death metal with way over-the-top kick and a nice solo. Parts of "Taste of Despair" sound a bit like older Despised Icon, though the way vocal patterns and riffs are formulated remind of Malignancy and Suffocation, respectively. "Schismatic" has a great intro, very moody (acoustic guitar), but it drops that aspect like a cheap whore and goes full-blast until finding a comfortable groove at just about 2 minutes in.

 "Shooting the Messenger" has this weird, awesome empty part a little over a minute in which kicks the proceedings up a notch by proceeding to a thrashy riff/drum combo (going double-time compared to normal thrash) before dropping into a nice, thorough slam and back to the previous thrashing. At this point I'm a little tired of the soloing, as it is a bit shreddy, unmemorable and kind of dull, but I really dig the riffs and how they repeat for almost exactly the right amount of time nearly without fail. "Contaminating the Hive Mind" is blustery, a virtual beatdown in audio form... the whole part that ends with the title drop is incredible vocal phrasing and pacing; perfect. A sort-of backwards-sounding breakdown follows that up, and they do repeat the chorus one more time before dropping into an intense slam featuring the indomitable Matti Way doing guest vocals. His performance here does, unfortunately, seem a bit phoned-in, but the music that's backing it up provides the bread-and-butter that I'm looking for in a closing track, so I don't quite mind.

Now, I should definitely get to the critical and possibly scathing segment of my review: part of me finds each of these songs a little too distended; it's almost like they're constantly outliving their given shelf-life, yet at the same time trying to convince you that they're not and that there's more (and interesting) material to come. Only sometimes do they really make good on that promise, though (though the majority of the time, this is quite the brutal, enjoyable romp, don't get me wrong). I found it amusing that it even sounds like the solos are trying to hurry the proceedings up, making everything seem the longer overall. They even show up at essentially the same time during every song in which they appear. I can't really get by that for this album, unfortunately; it is impenetrably, irrevocably brutal but a bit harrowing and haranguing on the whole. It seems weird, then, that I would long for an Abnormality full-length and then trash their desire to write longer (and more) songs, but it really sort of becomes a sticking point when the songs themselves are overbearing to some extent, especially the one-dimensional drum production which goes tickety-tock too much, too often.

This has some awesome chops all over the place, and almost every song is tighter than [insert brutal euphemism for something tight here], Mallika is as usual a wonderful vocalist (and apparently also quite the writer), and everyone in this band clearly knows their way around brutal deathgrind with a keen eye towards lack of relenting, so there sure are a bunch of positives here. But this is a duality, a push-and-pull with the issues that I find so often in debuts, and there are glorious moments when they struggle and succeed to rise above it all. For the next material this band puts out, I hope there will be more than awesome moments, or, hell, even more than awesome songs. I want there to be awesome purpose, an awesome album that defies conventional logic and blows minds, not just eardrums. And if any band can do it, it's our local heroes in brutality, Massachusetts' own Abnormality.

*preferably with a reference to virgins or something... I dunno, whatever you slam kids say these days