Stabbing - Extirpated Mortal Process

Stabbing’s “Extirpated Mortal Process” is an album so aurally dark in presentation, you can just feel the brutal death metal misery oozing from the speakers. These 12 tracks are so insanely heavy, it’s almost as if the band took doom/death elements and incorporated them into their own blueprint of metal insanity. This works extremely well especially in the opening riffage of the first track. From then on, it continues its murky sludginess drawing on vibes and influences from such bands as Cryptopsy, Internal Bleeding, Malevolent Creation, as well as label mates Focal Dystonia and Slob.

The riffage doesn’t seem to be all that technical as the sheer factor of heaviness is enough to get the point across. Pure outstanding work with the guitars, and I must say that Marvin Ruiz should be commended for his talents on this release. Another member to be mentioned for his work here is Rene Martines who plays drums. He has absolute pin-point precision behind the kit, and I was amazed with everything from time changes to the double bass and everything in between. I would consider him to be one of the best in the current generation of drummers playing this style of metal. Bassist Meryl Martines handles all things bottom-heavy and did an excellent job keeping the pulse of the material going throughout the album.

Finally, we have Bridget Lynch on vocals. The patterns don’t vary much, but her growls are insane! They are so low and guttural. If she can handle these low growls with no issues, I am sure that she would have no problems with mid-gutturals and screams. This would be interesting to hear. Perhaps on the next release there will be more variations in the vocal department. At the end of the day, it doesn’t get much better than this. You have all the elements of a classic here.

Also, this is a release where it is difficult to determine whether the band draws inspiration from old school or more recent influences. Yes, the lines are blurred that well. All you need to do is get this release, put it in your stereo, hit play and proceed to be taken to the depths of pure death metal bliss in all its flawless beauty. I never get enough of bands who take their art seriously and Stabbing is another band I can add to that list. I highly recommend this release to anyone who likes their death metal thick and sludgy while at the same time, sharp and piercing. Contact the band or Comatose Music for more info on this release.

5 / 5 STARS