So, I am sitting here minding my own business when an email lands in my inbox from casket technician Tox in Switzerland saying they had liked my review of last release Massoula and would I do similar with their new one. Scratching head, the realisation came that this hard drink… playing band (their words not mine) had released said EP over 7 years ago! Luckily the review is still up here for posterity and a few grey cells are left allowing me to remember it. I said I was interested to see how they had progressed and no problem. Progression was kind of laughed at but I was informed that in some ways they had as they have snared a new drummer from Stortregn whose name may well be familiar to extreme music fans and indeed have new album out in March called Impermanence (consider that a plug). Anyway, after the Swiss post got confused and sent the disc back to Tox it finally got through all the Brexit red tape to land here just before the dreams of gammons was realised and we left the Euro super state.
Again, this is a short one with 10 tracks and a playing time of just over 20 minutes. Still, it is quickly evident after an intro that sounds like evil dead things trapped in a washing machine that the group have indeed progressed. ‘Hate’ itself bounds in with some neat chuggy riffing and the production sounds vastly improved, nice and sharp and thick. The vocals are absolutely beastly and the speed is furious, this is grinding death fury and has the vibe of all those great gore bands that used to come at us from Razorback Records and their ilk, think Impaled, Lord Gore and well considering all things one has to mention Swiss group Embalming Theatre too. ‘The Killing Floor’ is a brooding slaughterhouse that bursts into a horrifying clamour as a lyrical Leatherface stalks and slaughters his way through victims in atypical flair and carnage. By now I have a nasty taste in mouth and see that the group are perhaps a little more serious this time around, no daft covers or studio screw arounds here, just grinding winding butchery. That doesn’t stop them throwing out a ‘Crusty’ 7 second song amid the brutal turmoil before getting into the downright vicious horrors of war that is ‘Chemical Extinction,’ the line “Deep fried rape” certainly getting the point across.
If you like your musical meat finally chiselled off with a scalpel, songs such as ‘Desecrate The Gods’ will definitely deliver the goods here and leave you hungering for more and as the doom laden ‘Paranoid Schizophrenic’ leaves you with vocal turmoil matching its subject matter you will no doubt be hungry for more. The good news is another 12 songs have been recorded already for the next CD so hopefully there won’t be another long gap before we get to hear it.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
Leave a Reply