Review by Krys on June 3, 2019.

Originally formed in 2014, Beli Manastir, Croatia but currently residing in Stuttgart, Germany, Hereza's obvious change of scenery coupled with fresh blood from new members resulted in completely different record and view of the world. Well, maybe not completely but to borrow from the promo flyer: "No 'pre', no 'post', no 'tech', no 'prog', not even any 'swe' references or connotations - the death metal drunks Hereza return with sheer fun and straightforward death'n'roll attack."

First look at the cover and title should give you an instant indication that we're up for a change compared to the predecessor. Dark cover of I Become Death was replaced with colorful art of a guitarist holding the bottle of booze aptly titled Death Metal Drunks and while death and zombies are still the lyrical theme across the whole record there's more emphasis on sex, drugs (in this case alcohol) and definitely death'n'roll.

And while they never were 'tech' or 'prog' the fascinations with Swedish sound was definitely there and this part is gone too. Dirty and distorted sound of HM-2 is replaced with cleaner, modern and more polished sound but don't fret, the punch is not only still there but it's bigger and more suited for their refined style. Hereza always had punk overtones but this time it's a lot more pronounced pushing the album into more thrash/hardcore-ish territories and combined with free spirited lyrics adds to 'n'roll atmosphere. And packing 11 tracks into 28 minutes definitely gives you that fast party with nonstop shots and fast girls feeling with each track bringing different flavors to this orgy. Style-wise ranging from death, through thrash, punk to pure rock Hereza makes sure you drink as much of their cool-aid as possible and spices things up with variety of tasty solos, tight blast drumming or sound effects of running horses, trucks crushing bones or moaning cowgirls. Extra bonus points are earned for 'Necrobitch, Cowgirl From The Morgue' where clean guitar classical strumming always gets my heart pumping when incorporated into a metal track.

No matter how you slice and dice, this record is just pure fun and should be treated as such. No hidden, life changing lyrical messages or trips into unknown musical territories but if you need a laugh or break from everyday seriousness make yourself a drink, cap-off that beer and enjoy the party.

While some will definitely miss old school Swedish sounding Hereza I'm definitely not one of them (I've literally heard over 100 bands with that old school sound this year alone!). So, while still not breaking new grounds in originality department it takes good party and a massive hangover to break from the old and go for the change, and it looks like Hereza knows how to party.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Alex on May 14, 2019.

Sleazy, drunken thrashing/speedy/punky death metal is what these nomads under the moniker Hereza bring to the masses from their Croatian whereabouts. Death Metal Drunks is the band’s third bottle of liquor after having 2 prior episodes that seem to have sat nicely. Though I haven’t heard them, I’m betting it’s along the lines of what’s disgorged here.  

For me I can’t really take the entire record seriously as some of the songs are mostly a spewing of ludicrousness.  Definitely not meant for the sensitive, you'll need some sense of humor to get through and find enjoyment out of Death Metal Drunks, as the lyrics are precisely what you would expect to hear some crazy alcoholics sing about amusingly. However, there are songs like “Rak n' Roll” and “Kopam Oči, Režem Jezik, Prste, Nos I Uši” that have a lingering breath of seriousness. Some mythological spice is thrown into the lyrical concept also as heard on “Dullahan” and “Back to the Grave”. In short Death Metal Drunks is a mixed mug of humorous and dark themes amongst other things. 

The instrumentation drifts towards the punk thrash and speed-metal sides of the gamut; though death metal is present, its challenged heavily by other genres many times to the point of almost being wiped from the record. You can hear it being manifested on “Back to the Grave” and other entries but to a very low effect. The music is death metal oriented where the vocals are concerned, but the drumming and riffing paint an early 2000’s thrashing scenery. “Kopam Oči, Režem Jezik, Prste, Nos I Uši” shows off some Croatian black metal riffing that alters the atmospheric presence of the record and keeps things interesting. 

As a testament to the outlandish, assailant and careless nature covered, songs such as “Genocid”, and the self-titled “Death Metal Drunks”, show just how much these guys care about your feelings, with the lyrics being both cryptic and candid at times, it’s really a cluster of subliminals and crystal-clear morbidity. 

I’m very surprised this was released on Godz ov War Productions as they’re known for publishing dark and threatening music; however, everyone deserves to have some fun every now and then. And that perhaps is the best word to describe this record; ‘fun’, it is filled with humor and lots of degrading lyrics for all kinds of people, down to the misogynistic as heard on “Stupid Spoiled Whore”, that has an ending reminiscent of Slipknot’s “Eeyore”. 

The timing on Death Metal Drunks is right for this kind of record; not something you would want to hear 38 minutes of. Starts and meets an end as quick as being spat on with disdain and fury, Hereza has composed 10 songs that bring both fictitious and realistic, yet humorous and provocative themes. As far as replay-value goes, Death Metal Drunks is worth a listen, maybe 2 depending on your preference in metal; but these songs guarantee you’ll get a full can of depravity.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10     

Review by Alex on June 8, 2019.

I almost skipped over this due to receiving so much physical media thus being forced to prioritize those higher than digital and wish I had gotten to it earlier, but I’m glad it did not get lost in the piles of intangible music.  Mutilate is comprised of high skilled musicians, it’s evident with every note played. Back to front Contagium is a complete record of sound compositions on an exotic cloudy production that gives the listener impressions suggesting Mutilate recorded this material just where the cover art depicts. Contagium has to be one of the best death metal albums released in 2019. There's been a-lot thus far but Contagium cackles at the feeble efforts of many. Every song is a blast of thrashing death metal fury filled with scourging guitar leads, dynamic drumming and cadaverous vocals. In addition, Mutilate has a sound they can call theirs thanks to the production heard on the record; it brings to mind the mid-80s style of thrash metal records with a low but audible bass and a heavy emphasis on lead guitars. I have heard their 2018 output Tormentium, which I thought was a good debut full- length record but, Contagium is way better, in every way. The production is still raw sounding (something I liked about Tormentium), but the song writing has taken a turn towards improved structuring, transitions and thrashing guitar leads that grab your attention on every entry making Mutilate’s second record a case of pulsing adrenaline and a more serious force within the underground. This is a must have for 2019. 

From the tramping drumming of “Vile and Disgusting”, the ear-gasmic licks and vocal antics of “Quartered”, to impulsive energetic sonic-storms of “Black Faith”, “Falling into Darkness”, “Decapitator” and “Skeletal Haunting”, you rarely find reason to complain unless you're burnt-out or just don’t appreciate this kind of material. I mean it's been done in the past, but to hear it replicated in the modern era to this much effect tells me the genre is in a healthy state (at least where the underground is concerned). Apart from being so deeply rooted in fiery thrash /death metal, Contagium reserves some space for doom metal sections that can be heard on tracks “Eyes of a Child” and “Falling into Darkness” with the latter having some of the stand-out lead guitar work. Even a punk metal aura is created on “Black Fate” which is again another track worth mentioning due to the guitar leads. The licks on Contagium are something-else, with every transition you’re presented with a string of notes or vocal piece that pulls you in every-time. Not excluding the drumming, showing the competency of keeping momentum, but also providing a memorable drum attack that mimics many styles, from doom metal, death metal, thrash metal, punk metal and even “war metal”. 

It's the artwork that caught my attention for Contagium, it holds a mysticism often associated with death metal when it was merely an embryo, and the music supports the picturesque mystique. This isn’t one of those records that only has an eye-catching cover, the music here is as strong and appealing as the artwork. 

Headbang till your nose bleeds.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10