Review by Carl on December 23, 2025.

Kontusion is a band delivering a gruff dose of cavernous old school death metal, so it would be easy to state that this is anything out of the ordinary these days. In that I'd concur, because this is a style of metal that has seen quite a lot of participants coming and going these last couple of years, and when I say that it's a lot, I do mean A LOT. While most of the acts involved in this particular style are worth at least a mention, it's also a fact that quite some of these bands deliver pretty much cookie-cutter material that isn't bad in itself, but doesn't do anything more than attempt to tick all the right boxes. And that is something that can't really be said about these two strapping gentlemen making up Kontusion. Perhaps not all that surprising considering the pedigree of these guys, because if you put together the former guitarist of Iron Reagan and the drummer of Coke Bust and the legendary Repulsion, something is bound to happen, right?

At first spin, you wouldn't think that Insatiable Lust For Death is all that special. The music on offer is a solid mixture of the classic works by bands such as Autopsy, a blip of Incantation, Pungent Stench, and not surprisingly, Repulsion, filtered through the contemporary lens we know from more or less like-minded colleagues like Contaminated, Tomb Mold, or Caustic Wound. It's stuff that caves in the skull right from the get-go, with primitive raging velocity alternating with slow crushing stomp being rolled up in a well-balanced, heavy and abrasive sound mix, making the music land like an iron fist in the face. The cavernous reverb-drenched vocals are a compulsory part of this particular style of old school death metal, so it does not feel out of place in the big picture here. Just your uber-solid slab of gnarly Metal ov Death, you'd think, right?

Well, yes, for a big chunk on offer it is, but when we begin digging deeper into the already great music, it's when the nifty details really start to surface. While Kontusion's sound is old school death metal through and through, the influence of crustcore bands such as Uncurbed, Meanwhile, and Totalitär also can't be denied. An influence not only felt in the fluid execution of the music, but in some of the riffing too. Now, is death metal brought with punk-fueled energy nothing new? The aforementioned Autopsy has done that pretty much from the start, but in the case of Kontusion, it certainly helps to infuse the pounding death metal with a belligerent sort of manic energy I seldom encounter in other acts of the ilk. It's an approach to death metal that reminds me of the Deranged side projects Murder Corporation and Killaman, two units that sadly have sunk away into (semi) obscurity, so you bet that sweet little behind of yours that I am most stoked to hear that sound resurface on Kontusion's debut full-length. Add to this already excellent concoction some stellar guitar leads that absolutely betray Mark Bronzino's thrash metal roots, and what we have here is absolute death metal heaven, with the atmospheric synths in tracks like 'Incarnate' and 'Horrid Eye' placing a pitch-black cherry on top of this granite birthday cake of an album. Awesome stuff indeed!

This album has been a very welcome surprise in my book for sure. It offers up solid old school death metal-isms, brought with a battering punk-ish energy, and some unexpected elements added, and just believe me when I say that I am captivated with what these guys have delivered. If there's any criticism I have here, it would be that the album is perhaps on the short side, but on the other hand, that also prevents it from wearing out its welcome. Oh, and before I forget, kudos on the most certainly not obvious choice of covering The Shitlickers as a hidden track!

This is an excellent release that couples a familiar feel with unexpected touches, keeping everything concise and to the point while doing it. If any of the bands mentioned above do it for you, you can't go wrong with picking up Insatiable Lust For Death for sure.

Rating: 9 out of 10