Review by Carl on November 28, 2023.

A difficult to read dripping logo? Check. Gory cover art? Check. An intro sample with a screaming woman begging for her life? Check. Could this be another dose of slamming brutal death metal by the book? You better checking believe it!

This is pretty much a slamming release in the vein of those 1.658.981 others that came before it. From the guttural vocal delivery to the down tuned guitars, there's nothing here you haven't heard before. The songs walk the down-trodden path of blast beat driven ferocity alternating with heavy staccato slams, sometimes accentuated by a bass drop that wipes away the total sound spectrum for a split second. Throw in some movie sound snippets, and you're pretty much there. Sharing their DNA with acts like Cephalotripsy, Gangrenectomy, Abominable Putridity and Vulvectomy, Existential Dissipation are clearly not concerned with any original frivolity when it comes to their sound. Now, original or not, I do have to admit that what they do, they sure do it with gusto and conviction. It all sounds punishing as all hell, and if you happen to be a slam fetishist, you will find material to your heart's content on this album. Thanks to the modern and heavy production, the music comes thundering out of the speakers, and musicwise, the band does not make it difficult for themselves or the listener, but rather focus on delivering bruising brutality, and after all, isn't that what slam is supposed to be all about?

While I can certainly appreciate the uncomplicated route the band takes, that certain feeling of "yup, that's slam, alright" rears its head at times. Probably because by now I've heard tons of it and a slight sense of fatigue has crept up on me, but also because these guys stick so doggedly to the formula that after a couple of tracks I've heard it all. Again, this is not bad and certainly a good slice of the slamming cake for any into the style, but the lack of originality renders them kinda faceless.

I'd say that if you want your slamming brutal death to have somewhat of a more adventurous streak to it, you can leave this be, but if you simply can't get enough of this stuff, it should be right up your alley. Existential Dissipation does not deviate from any of the standards set out by the leading lights of the genre (think of acts like Epicardiectomy or Extermination Dismemberment here), simply doing what is expected from them, executing it with enough power to keep it convincing throughout, and isn't that what this genre is supposed to be all about?

After all, I can't really imagine anybody out there eagerly awaiting the invention of progressive avant-garde jazz slam.

Rating: 7 out of 10