So, as 2017 came to a close and I gathered up my top outings of the year and the leftover albums that I’m reviewing now, thanks to some excellent music taste-having individuals on Instagram, I came to the realization that I really failed to pay enough attention to Death Metal throughout the year. I mean, sure there were some rippers that I heard that made my list like the new Impetuous Ritual and Spectral Voice outings, but I clearly didn’t pay enough attention, as there was a bunch of stuff within the realm of Death that I missed; the latest albums by the likes of Ascended Dead, Witch Vomit, Cryptic Brood, Undergang, Necrot and Phrenelith are among this bunch. However, exploring those acts (all of which I dig) also led me to one band in particular and their newest outing, and that’s this monstrous piece of muddy, dissonant Death Metal filth right here! As soon as I got a load of this one, I HAD to add it to my leftover reviews list. It was destined for a review here.
Australia’s Contaminated is another upstart act that’s coming up swinging furiously and making an impact straight away. This is their debut outing and it’s already gotten their name around and has created a buzz for them within the Extreme Metal underground, deservingly so. This is some of the filthiest, abyssal and crushing Death Metal that I’ve heard all year and I deeply regret missing it, because it sure as fuck would have had a spot on my year-end list had I discovered it sooner. Not only did I fucking love this one, but it made me realize that I slept on so much good stuff that absolutely deserved my attention. So a leftover review is the least I can do. Anyway, the reason I chose this album for a review over the ones mentioned above, is that this one hit me the hardest and sent me into probably the biggest Death Metal kick I’ve had in a long time. If you look at my Instagram, I’ve been all about the Deathly jams lately and it’s all because of this album! This is an absolutely brutal and ruthless slab of old school-spirited Death Metal, well-versed in the ways of the pioneers and those of the earlier days.
Coming out swinging right from the jump with Squalid Survival, the thick, murky guitars and grimy, pounding drums begin this onslaught like an auditory landslide of slush and bodies piling onto you non-fucking-stop, the inhumanly cavernous growls complete the assault and fit the tone and atmosphere like a glove… a bloody, rotten flesh-covered glove. No Time to Rot continues the mess with it’s grimy, blasphemous fury with thick, rumbling drums blasting through a foggy, muddy flurry of dismal guitars with a tone that reminds me of those used by the likes of Gatecreeper and Tomb Mold, only dirtier and more Impetuous Ritual-esque. The dynamic created by the rotten, murky, bleak vibe this album gives off, coupled with the barbarity of the instrumentation and the ruthless, almost bestial growls that sear over it all is what made this album stand out more than the rest of the Death Metal albums I listened to during the month that I missed. These first 2 tracks were clear as a whistle indicators that this one was going to be the one to receive a leftover review.
Things slow down for a bit with Their Future, which ranges from mid-paced and Doomy to violent and nasty with swift and sudden jumps in tempo. Boneless Mass picks things up again speed-wise and the violent bludgeoning continues. The slowing of the tempo returns with Starved, in a much heavier degree than before and is brought right back up again with Co-Opted into Worthless Sludge. The last 3 tracks pretty much drive the point home and i’m sure by now, you know what to expect from there on out. This is old school Death Fucking Metal in it’s ugliest form and the foulest and truest you’ll see it in 2018. There have been others throughout the year, a lot of which you can see on my year-end list, and this one would be on that list too if not for the shitty timing of finding out about it. Oh well.
So do yourself a favor and give this one a shot! If you’re a jaded old fuck who has a hard time finding Death Metal of quality in this day and age, give it a shot. Don’t sleep on this or any of the other bands mentioned above like I made the mistake of doing. It’s not worth missing. I promise that i’ll try not to sleep on so much good shit in 2018 like I did in 2017. I’ll dig more when I can find the time to. This album is great motivation for that and i’ll use it as such. It should be for you too, so don’t be a goober, give it a listen and get ear-fucked into oblivion by one of the best growing beasts out there right now. Total fucking support!
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