Review by Alex on June 14, 2019.

I understand Obliterhate is currently on hold, that's disappointing to hear because Multiple Counts of Murder is a promising debut record despite an unwanted factor. It lies somewhere between mid-90s and early 00s death metal sonically, the only drawback about this record for me is the programmed drumming. Usually if I discover the drums are programmed on a record I avoid it by all means, but in Obilterhate's case, I was willing to look past that because of the cartoon artwork on the album. What I found buried amidst the cardboard programmed drumming is a sincere aim at establishing Multiple Counts of Murder and the name of the band as a serious undertaking. Obliterhate showed that despite the lack of a real drummer, they were compelled to make an album that possessed most of the necessary ingredients to be a competing force amidst recognized names of the genre. 

The vocals and guitars play their roles so well that the absence of a drummer rarely ever crosses the mind of the listener; the manual music does a considerably good job of hiding that missing element. Songs like “Broken Arm of Mortality”, “Gutten” and "Cannibal” reveal a purpose hidden below the computerized drums as though knowing there is something not favorable with the music but still managing to play with a straight face. Decent vocals (in the form of throaty grunts), good guitar leads, and solos give the music some amount of depth, though not the best organization of lyrics as they sometimes sound crammed into the music and off-beat/out-of-sync at times, a sense of genuine care still manifests throughout the 33 minutes on Multiple Counts of Murder. 

Commendable song structure and variation that equally rivals the thrashing also makes its presence evident further giving Obliterhate credibility in the midst of the unfavorable but necessary drum programming. More about the automated drumming; it's nothing a decent extreme metal drummer can't play; I say this because I’ve heard computerized drums on records that are noticeably challenging to play live and is often the case with many bands. I'm glad they did not go crazy and create an overly technical album that would make it even harder to find a capable drummer. Fortunately, the mechanical drums don’t obstruct the music as much as I thought it would, all thanks to the heavy emphasis on the guitar distortion on the songs that drown a fair amount of that clappy double bass. 

As mentioned earlier, Obliterhate is currently in some form of hiatus, as all of the musicians involved are active participants of other extreme metal groups such as Devilpriest (fantastic band), Imperial Sin and Izurus; therefore, exclusive commitment to the project is currently not a possibility. However, if they do decide to reactivate their engines for new Obliterhate material, I hope they do so with the aid of a real drummer. Multiple Counts of Murder shows good prospect for a debut release and begs to be challenged by future efforts under the Obliterhate moniker. Multiple Counts of Murder is much of a presence alerting album that leaves room for a subsequent body of music.

Rating: 7 out of 10   

Review by JD on May 15, 2012.

Unsigned bands are the backbone of metal, I have said that -and stand behind it one hundred percent. Many bands have come along, fuelled my imagination - and they then go on to become major influences on the next batches of bands. That is how you keep music growing and advancing to the next level.

Undead Pandemic is a one man Gore/Grind band from the UK. It is a work of sonic destruction that has this not-too-subtle Black Metal vibe going through it. With all of this going, you think this band has some great possibilities ... in truth, it is a project that fails to deliver on every aspect. It is pure noise, and not the good Noisecore or others, it is purely noise.

With fourteen tracks on the album - it was fourteen purely uninspired attempts at making Extreme Metal which falls into the category of just being plainly shit. Listening to the album, you can't ignore the non existent recording values, the absurd use of over amounts of synthesisers and the over usage of sampling. Let us talk about the bad arrangements which slaps Extreme Metal, as well as all other Extreme styles in the face. I like heavy noisy music, but this is like sitting down and listening to a garbage disposal for three days straight.

Whoever this Ben Murphy is... a word to you. Either learn how to write music, or simply stop. Do the metal world a service, and get a job digging ditches or something - leave the music to people who have talent and drive to make it all happen. You make metal look like just noise, you make the underground music scene look that way too. Let us who know what we are doing do the work.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:1
Atmosphere: 0
Production: 0
Originality: 0
Overall: 1

Rating: 0.4 out of 10

Review by JD on May 15, 2012.

Unsigned bands are the backbone of metal, I have said that -and stand behind it one hundred percent. Many bands have come along, fuelled my imagination - and they then go on to become major influences on the next batches of bands. That is how you keep music growing and advancing to the next level.

Undead Pandemic is a one man Gore/Grind band from the UK. It is a work of sonic destruction that has this not-too-subtle Black Metal vibe going through it. With all of this going, you think this band has some great possibilities ... in truth, it is a project that fails to deliver on every aspect. It is pure noise, and not the good Noisecore or others, it is purely noise.

With fourteen tracks on the album - it was fourteen purely uninspired attempts at making Extreme Metal which falls into the category of just being plainly shit. Listening to the album, you can't ignore the non existent recording values, the absurd use of over amounts of synthesisers and the over usage of sampling. Let us talk about the bad arrangements which slaps Extreme Metal, as well as all other Extreme styles in the face. I like heavy noisy music, but this is like sitting down and listening to a garbage disposal for three days straight.

Whoever this Ben Murphy is... a word to you. Either learn how to write music, or simply stop. Do the metal world a service, and get a job digging ditches or something - leave the music to people who have talent and drive to make it all happen. You make metal look like just noise, you make the underground music scene look that way too. Let us who know what we are doing do the work.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:1
Atmosphere: 0
Production: 0
Originality: 0
Overall: 1

Rating: 0.4 out of 10

Review by JD on May 15, 2012.

Unsigned bands are the backbone of metal, I have said that -and stand behind it one hundred percent. Many bands have come along, fuelled my imagination - and they then go on to become major influences on the next batches of bands. That is how you keep music growing and advancing to the next level.

Undead Pandemic is a one man Gore/Grind band from the UK. It is a work of sonic destruction that has this not-too-subtle Black Metal vibe going through it. With all of this going, you think this band has some great possibilities ... in truth, it is a project that fails to deliver on every aspect. It is pure noise, and not the good Noisecore or others, it is purely noise.

With fourteen tracks on the album - it was fourteen purely uninspired attempts at making Extreme Metal which falls into the category of just being plainly shit. Listening to the album, you can't ignore the non existent recording values, the absurd use of over amounts of synthesisers and the over usage of sampling. Let us talk about the bad arrangements which slaps Extreme Metal, as well as all other Extreme styles in the face. I like heavy noisy music, but this is like sitting down and listening to a garbage disposal for three days straight.

Whoever this Ben Murphy is... a word to you. Either learn how to write music, or simply stop. Do the metal world a service, and get a job digging ditches or something - leave the music to people who have talent and drive to make it all happen. You make metal look like just noise, you make the underground music scene look that way too. Let us who know what we are doing do the work.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:1
Atmosphere: 0
Production: 0
Originality: 0
Overall: 1

Rating: 0.4 out of 10