Stages Of Decomposition - Piles Of Rotting Flesh

US brutal slamming death metal verging on the gory side of humanity and depravation pretty much sums up this release, the band’s first full length release to date. This is a genre I let loose a while back but the punchy delivery from this band make all my memories come back to life, even if I don’t necessarily feel comfortable about the lyrical content.  Sound samples do annoy me, but this is part and parcel of US brutal death metal. The syncopation and thunderous crunch from the guitars is very nice indeed and some of the riffs and arrangements send me to some areas of the early Florida scene, but on the whole, this is far more extreme and on par with the many US brutal death metal bands that has been in existence over a number of years.

The vocals are exactly what you would expect, guttural deep and brooding, like someone regurgitating a broken glass container. There is horror a foot also, the exploitation of humanity, the fear of entrapment and the narcissism that some folks can inflict on others. This is particularly prevalent during ‘Devoured and Defecated by Swine’ (Swine/pigs – this reminds me of the movie ‘Snatch’ where the gangster tells tales of disposing of victims’ bodies by feeding them to his pigs). Other gory numbers include ‘The Butcher of Plainsfield’ and by the intro, really make you a part of the scene that is set and the story as told by the band themselves.

The much is very much in your face, the band is quite tight and the recording captures the aggression perfectly. One thing that is pleasing is that the guitar sound is not so compressed, it has a little bit of expanse about it rather than adopting complete lack of sustain and life like some bands already out there doing this dirty gory business. Brutal as it is, you will feel comfort in these terrifying surroundings and I have even surprised myself by my accolade and enjoyment of such a release.