Crepitation / Splattered / Gorevent / Stillbirth -- Worldwide Slamicide (review)

Bands: Crepitation, Splattered, Gorevent, Stillbirth
Album: Worldwide Slamicide
Genre: slam death metal, brutal death metal
Year: 2018
Label: Rising Nemesis, Amputated Vein

Prior to listening to this 4-way slam masterpiece, I knew of each band and was thoroughly familiar with Crepitation, but I wasn't really into any of these guys.  And then I listened to this monster.  Four bands, four different takes on slamming brutal death.
Starting off with Crepitation, the band I was most familiar with (I highly recommend their full-length, The Violence of the Slams), this shit is hot.  I know these guys for their fast slam attacks, downright sick sense of humor, and nutty vocals.  Let me emphasize the kooky, crazy dual-vocal performance.  The listeners ears are drenched in a torrent of spittle and vomit from start to finish.  I guarantee there are few vocalists out there with this much variety (if any).  It's totally whacked out.  The songwriting is just as crazy with sudden changes in tempo and shifts between riffs.  Of course, the slams come first in the scheme of things, and there's plenty to snap your neck to.  The quintet top off their wildly unique sound with samples of a dark, humorous nature.
Next up we have Splattered, who turn out to be my favorite of the bunch.  Beforehand, I had only heard a three-track promo, but their display on this split leaves me wanting more!  They start off with "Antediluvian Horror" which features almost straight groove riffage.  These riffs are punctuated with brief leads and coated with thick guttural secretion.  The song closes out with a crushing breakdown which highlights the punchy production.  "Gutted" continues the aural assault with one of the heaviest slams on the whole release.  This is quickly followed up by another slam and a blazing guitar solo.  Splattered close out their section with a pounding cover of Abominable Putridity's "Entrails Full of Vermin", a fitting homage to the slam titans.
Gorevent fills the next slot with three raw slabs of slamming death.  For those familiar with the Japanese slam kings, these tracks originally appeared on the Human Garlic Baking EP, which, I will admit, I originally wasn't a fan of.  This time around they are fucking amazing.  Tons upon tons of primitive slam riffs heaved upon the listeners' bleeding ears.  If you like old school Devourment and Cephalotripsy, you will love Gorevent.  This shit was made for knuckle-dragging cave dwellers, and it is worth every last primitive note.
Finally, we arrive at Stillbirth's three tracks.  The most modern sounding (alongside Splattered), Stillbirth mix pummeling brutal death metal with groovy slamming deathcore.  The tracks feature numerous tempo shifts and a multitude of breakdowns and slams.  The vocals are split between two vocalists and are a cross between standard deathcore and brutal death styles.  What stood out the most to me were the production values.  The guitars are very polished, and there are a number of strobe effects utilized throughout.  They manage to pull this off without overdoing it as many bands are wont to.
Overall, this is a massive split and, dare I say, album of the year (at least so far in my ears)!  Highly recommended to anyone looking for good slamming brutal death metal.  Give it a listen and pick up this death machine from the Rising Nemesis bandcamp.


Rating: 4.5 / 5
Top Tracks:
Crepitation -- Gelatinous Interdimensional Spunk Trumpet
Splattered -- Antediluvian Horror
Gorevent -- Kill
Stillbirth -- Hypnotized by Lies

Within Destruction -- Deathwish (review)

Band: Within Destruction
Album: Deathwish
Genre: slamming deathcore
Year: 2018
Label: Rising Nemesis Records

Let's start 2018 out with something heavy!  My introduction to the Slovenian behemoth Within Destruction was their sophomore full-length, Void.  That album was heavy, slammy, melodic, and the double bass was fast as fuck.  So their latest outing should take that good reputation and improve upon it, right?
Well, the band did introduce new elements this time around, which is good considering the fact that this is still a relatively young band (8 years, didn't really take off 'til 2016).  The melodic passages are different than what was present on Void.  I would describe these melodies as kind of light and fleeting, whereas Void's melodic riffs were more ominous.  The vocalist has also revamped his style a bit.  The intense growling is occasionally broken up by some less-harsh moments.  It seems like the song is gonna lapse into melodic metalcore, but he reverts to tunnel-throating it as quickly as he stopped.
Aside from the aforementioned tweaks in style, this thing just turned out to be another run-of-the-mill "slam deathcore" album.  Anything that made the band's 2016 breakthrough interesting is painfully lacking here.  I couldn't even force myself to see an ounce of originality in this.  Everything from the production to the music to the album cover is so done-to-death it hurts.  Please, stop beating this dead horse.
Bonus: the guest feature on the title track made me never want to listen to Psychosadistic Design ever again.  It is that BAD.
Maybe someone can find something good to say, so check it out here.


Rating: 1.5 / 5

Methwitch -- Piss (review)

Band: Methwitch
Album: Piss
Genre: slamming deathcore
Year: 2017
Label: independent

Methwitch is a one-man deathcore project from New Mexico.  Blending together the most brutal elements of hardcore and extreme metal, Piss is an unrelenting beast of an album.  Over the course of its one-hour run time, Cameron McBride lays down hellfire on anyone (un)lucky enough to listen to his output.
None of the songs are particularly memorable, but this guy knows what he does best: crush the listener with 20 tons of breakdowns.  If you hate breakdown-driven core music in the vein of Vulvodynia and Infant Annihilator, then I recommend you avoid Methwitch at all costs.  Love getting curb-stomped repeatedly?  Indulge yourself with this behemoth!
I was extremely surprised to see that the drums on this release are, in fact, programmed.  In my opinion, they sound very organic (I mean that in the way that they aren't overly repetitive -- they sound triggered for sure).  The guitar work is great (for deathcore).  There really are not any stand-out riffs, but McBride manages to pull off some technical shit when he's not delivering a brutal beatdown.  The bass is audible, but there is nothing really impressive about it.  Vocals, on the other hand, are phenomenal!  A mix of hardcore shouting, guttural growls, and ear-piercing shrieks, McBride manages to keep the music interesting for its long-winded run time.  He seems to be heavily influenced by the likes of Duncan Bentley and Travis Ryan, while simultaneously cementing his own unique style.
All in all, I think the album is a bit too long for this style, but if you are looking to get crushed, look no further.  You can download the album from the Methwitch bandcamp here.


Rating: 3.5 / 5
Top Tracks:
Carmine
Priest of Piss
Altar of Blasphemy
Gallery of Apostasy