Animals Killing People-Human Hunting Season
(Goregiastic Records, 2003)

I’d be lying if I said this band name didn’t give me a chuckle, but there is nothing funny about this bands brand of gurgled, blasting death metal. Truth be told they sound an awfully lot like Last Days of Humanity, but with less punk influenced and more insane blasting.

The production doesn’t really allow the band to reach their full potential though I think. The guitar sound is a bit too fuzzy, and a few times it’s a bit hard to follow what is going on, especially when blasting and gurgled vocals are taking over most of the mix. But for what you can make out there are quite a few surprisingly catchy riffs to be found. Especially during some of the more grindcore influenced sections the guitar riffs are somewhat simple, but have an incredible amount of energy.

The only real other qualm I have with this bands sound is that the songs are all pretty similar. They don’t have much to distinguish each track. Each song has riffs that stand out, but the structures are all fairly similar. I’d say that this might all fit in with the band wanting to be as extreme as possible. Because the songs for the most part are whirlwinds that could make your head spin.

Fans of Last Days of Humanity and blast beats and gurgled vocals definitely won’t have a hard time enjoying this MCD.

Saproffago-Bestial Terrible Thoughts
(Goregiastic Records, 2003)

After the odd opening intro finishes it soon becomes evident that this band is fast, and I do mean fast. The music is utterly bulldozing. Flurries of notes, clash with blast beats while guttural vocals complete the savage puzzle. If you think that the death metal underground has nothing left to offer, Saproffago definitely proves you wrong.

You could pretty much say that these guys have a sound that somewhat combines the blasting ferocity of Krisiun, with a bit of the slower more rhythm based New York style coming in from time to time as well. The blasting is insane, but these guys manage to write some very cool slower riffs which actually do a great deal for making this band stand out. The band stays tight even during the rhythmic sections and the drummer has a good sense of dynamics, which comes across even with a somewhat lacking production. You can’t really say that these guys are rewriting death metal, but this is a killer slab of death metal none the less.

The production is definitely a bit lo-fi, but it doesn’t necessarily hurt the overall impact of the album. I think the guitar tone could have been a bit more forceful. It rings through during the slower sections, but a bit of clarity is lost during the more busy blasting sections. I’m not sure how many studios there are in Columbia that would understand this type of music, but with a totally professional production this band would absolutely destroy.

Carnal-True Blasphemy
(Goregiastic Records, 2004)

From the cover art I was expecting black metal, but this is blasting death metal that is somewhat dark. It has a total underground feel to it, and while a few riffs here and there are more rhythm based, I could see this appealing to fans of Blasphemy or war metal. It’s definitely more death metal, but there are a lot of similarities.

The production on this disc actually somewhat bothers me, but at the same time it totally fits what the band is trying to do. It’s incredibly raw, unpolished, yet the band manages to stay tight. The guitar definitely could have been a bit louder in the overall mix as it sometimes is overpowered by the vocals. It has a very cryptic sound not unlike Beherit, although the bands aren’t extremely similar musically.

The production does hold them back just a little, but fans of dark death metal with hints of black metal and non stop speed should be able to get into this. The war metal influence is definitely there, but this is, like I mentioned before, much more death metal based. The vocals are completely guttural, and the guitar riffing has much more bottom end. It’s not just sped up thrash metal riffing. Some of the slower more grinding riffs also bring in just a bit of the New York sound. So there are definitely a lot of influences at work here, and in the end Carnal manages to create a fairly unique sound out of those influences.

Nihil Obstat-Inherited Primitive Behaviors
(Goregiastic Records, 2004)

Completely over the top death metal is what Nihil Obstat brings to the table with what I believe is their debut album. This Columbian band really manages to kick things high energy and very brutal, but they also have a good sense of dynamics with the riffing. The riffing for the most part is completely bulldozing bringing to mind Dying Fetus, but they also have many note based runs and some start and stop riffs that remind me of Deranged.

The main vocal style used is a beyond guttural roar the really suits the aggressive nature of the bands sound. The vocal patterns are fairly straight forward, but they definitely fit the music perfectly. From time to time the band also uses a more high pitched shriek that actually somewhat reminds me of Cradle of Filth. Don’t take that the wrong way though, musically this has absolutely nothing to do with Cradle of Filth. The most melodic aspect of this band is the use of pinch harmonics.

The production is actually surprisingly professional. The guitar tone is heavy and even during the busier riffs you still can decipher what is being played. The drums are very tight, and the only thing that I could possibly say could have improved was that the bass drums could have been just a bit louder. But aside from that this is a very good sounding death metal album.

While most bands in this style usually wear a bit thin by the end of the disc, these guys manage to keep things interested. Whether it be with creative riffs or just solid songwriting, they have a good grasp of keeping death metal exciting. The odd hint of dissonance, or the chugging riffs really helps make these guys more then just another average death metal band. For fans of Dying Fetus and Deranged, this is a mandatory purchase.

Christ Denied-Drink...Drink the Blood
(Goregiastic Records, 2004)

I first heard Christ Denied on their split with Aborted, and I was definitely impressed. The band brand of drum machine death metal was much more thought out and involved then the seemingly endless amount of Mortician clones around at the time. This album unfortunatly is not a brand new album from the band, it is however a collection of songs from their splits with Bastard Saints, and Aborted, as well as the bands debut demo recording.

The tracks from the split with Bastard Saints are easily the best on here. The songwriting is much stronger, combining brutal death metal with an underlying sense of black metal melody. It’s not completely obvious, but there are quite a few riffs that offer a more sinister approach then the usual go for the throat blasting. The split with Aborted is similar in style but the production is a bit weaker, and it somewhat hurts the overall impact of the songs.

The demo is incredibly rough sounding, but it’s actually very cool. It’s possibly some of the slowest stuff the band has ever done, but also just as fast in some sections as well. During the blasting moments of the demo it’s nearly impossible to follow what is going on. The vocals and drums pretty much completely take over the mix. It might not be incredibly easy on the ears, but it definitely shows where the band started and how far they have come over the years.

For fans of the band that don’t own these splits already this is definitely something that you would want to pick up. Even if you own the splits with Bastard Saints, and Aborted, this would easily be worth picking up for the inclusion of the demo tracks. I highly doubt you’d be able to find them anywhere else.

Pustulated-Inherited Cryptorchidism
(Goregiastic Records, 2004)

From the band name you might expect this to be somewhat typical gory death metal. But damn would you ever be wrong. This is one of the most creative bands that I have ever heard in the death/grind genre. A surprise awaits you at pretty much every turn, and if your jaw doesn’t drop to the floor by the fourth of fifth song there is something very wrong with you.

One of the things that really stands out about this album is the drum performance. This guy is a fucking manaic. The blast beats are incredibly fast, but that’s not what is so impressive. The guy is just an incredibly tight drummer. The fills are all smooth and right on the money, and this guy seems to be able to play at any tempo. When the band throws in a thrash or hardcore punk tempo, he can handle it with no troubles. The music is interested, but it’s the drum performance that keeps everything together and really drives this album home.

The band does have a few elements that are standard for the genre. The guttural vocals are used and these are low as fuck let me tell you. It is somewhat typical sounding, but I don’t think any other vocal style really would have fit. There are also a few guitar riffs that you could call typical, but these moments are few and far between.

Don’t let this review think that these guys play avant-garde death metal or anything like that. The music is pulverizing, fast and furious. It’s just that the riffing is very unique and they really don’t follow the rules of the genre. They aren’t just another Suffocation or Mortician clone by any stretch of the imagination. This is one of those bands that will probably go unappreciated during their time together but will go on to cult status. I can’t even believe how good this album is.