Review by Carl on December 16, 2023.

The cover and logo make me suspect brutal slamming death, the name has me thinking more of a crossover thrash deal. What better way than find it out than put it up for review, right?

Turns out it's indeed a death metal act, consisting out of one man. The style sure has some similarities with early brutal death metal, especially the early works of Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Putrid Pile and Monstrosity come to mind, but in its totality, it's a very simplified take on the style. The guitars utilize adequate death metal riffing, with at times an Overkill kind of thrash metal vibe to them ("Devoured by Rats"), but at times the riffs have the tendency to sound too chipper for my taste, not really exuding aggression and menace all that much. The guitars are backed by a very boxy sounding drum computer that sounds pretty lifeless and flat, so flat even, that sometimes it sounds as if the guitars detach themselves from the percussion and give the impression that they float next to each other in the mix, especially in the blast beat parts. Holding it all together somewhat are the gruff, low growling vocals, giving me a slight Deicide-ish vibe, but really aren't all that special either, being pretty monotonous in execution. The songs are varied throughout, with high velocity alternating with more thudding midtempo parts, and I have to say that the mostly midtempo tracks like "Exterminate the Rotten Core" are the better ones on this album, because they sound more coherent than the faster ones. The lowpoint of the album is the album closer "Death Metal Blues" that does what it says on the tin, and I can't stand it. From the fake audience cheering at the start of the track, the bluesy death metal main riff, right down to the annoying (and unfortunately very catchy) chorus, this is exactly what I despise about this kind of cheap humor in music.

The production does not help matters much, either. It sounds really thin and dry, with too much emphasis on the already below par sounding drum computer, and with guitars that sound very lifeless, neutering much of the music of brutality and soul. Add to this a mix that is on the iffy side, and we come to the sad fact that this album is pretty much dead on arrival.

Despite there being more than a handful of good ideas present, it all drowns in the meager production, unfortunately. Why unfortunately, you might ask? Well, throughout the half-cocked production and sometimes odd compositional choices, I can clearly hear a man who is doing what he wants to do, with his heart definitely in the right place. If only this album had way more bite in it than the shabby soundmix would let out, this would've hit way harder than it does now.

Rating: 6 out of 10