Exitium - Outsourcing Morality review artwork

Rating: 7.5

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1.. Outsourcing Morality
2.. Enshrined
3.. Living Among the Lifeless
4.. Prorated Peace of Mind
5.. Species of Compulsion
6.. Belligerent Rage
7.. Acquite and Hoard
8.. Execution of Existence
9.. Vicious Cycle
10.. Only In Death
11.. Mask the Scars
12.. A Dying Act of Defiance

Band Website: Exitium

Exitium - Outsourcing Morality

Brandon Carrigan - Vocals
Justin Jones - Guitar
Kirk Kirkwood - Guitar
Andy Beard - Bass, Backing Vocals
Brian Carrigan - Drums

Here's a nice, grindin' surprise from Oklahoma. Outsourcing Morality is the gift, a cleverly executed Grind/Death crossbreed, which sees Exitium extract my favourite bits of each style, deftly interlacing the abrasive gnash of one with the callous crunch of the other; the adorable present lovingly tied with their individual, innovative ribbons.

Full o' explosive, skull-cloutin' rhythms and blastin' clatter, buffered by flowin' grooves and sudden chug-down rigidity, the hectic structures brought together by an impulsive yet reliable delivery. 'Cos the four musicians possess similar panache, there's no risk of any individual virtuosity wringing the life out of an otherwise pleasantly rounded album. Although the guitarwork can be seen as a stimulus to the Exitium system, without the inspired rhythm section and excellent, sometimes extraordinary vokills, the mechanism would be altogether incapable of grindin! In dodgin' thru rapid, raucous phrases, forthright chunkiness, strobing widdle and good, wholesome crust, the guitarwork is patently intricate but does follow carefully constructed patterns throughout. Whilst their work is quite convoluted, the guitarists find room for immediate hooks, mid-paced fun 'n' games and simple staccato progressions; all the stuff that generally keeps the technical bits from subsiding into a jumbled up grab-bag o' riffs. With the exception of one twiddlesome bit towards the end of the disc that sounds a little out of place, the solo-stringwork doesn't become unnecessary, serving only to complement the raging rumble. The basslines sound lovely when I can actually hear them, the rest of the time they're buried far too deep to efficiently claw my neck off. The bass does pop up pleasantly once or twice, but it's poorly represented overall, unless it's just my twatted speakers or knackered cochleas. The stick 'n' skin related portion o' the rhythm section adds lots o' bulk to the arrangements, being well-plotted, energetic and powerful without being excessive or distracting. The vokills are indeed praiseworthy, with agile larynxes switchin' from gravelly guttural granite to vessel-splatchin' screams, utilising a call 'n' response format most of the time. Occasionally, there are eruptions of enormous, discordant reeees 'n' brieees, probably achieved via forcing up large gut-gusts whilst coiling the tongue throatwards to the point of auto-cannibalism, mouth fixed into a cod-like grimace. They're shoved out with such vigour that they often sound more like hysterical bitchscreams, unless of course I've interpreted them all wrong and they are in fact bitchscreams after all. Either way, when they appear in the tracks, they're unfortunately always slopped right on top of the mix, their effect lost thru the dissonant result. Of course, it can be a bit tricky to capture the true intensity of reees like these, the clarity of the other instruments often trampled down by harsh 'n' jarring nature of such a vokill. Mind you, a bit o' compression wouldn't have gone amiss!

A pungent Scandinavian Grind influence infuses the Exitium beverage, evident in the fast 'n' blastular approach, fervent vokills 'n' shrewd hooks, but from the sinister chug-murk and slower, lurchin' moments it's clearly been boiled up in a much-loved US kettle. I find there's an enormous Nasum fondness here, in that it filches more than a couple o' filthcaked grooves rather mischievously from their first two albums. Having slotted em snugly into their structures, the band set about threshin' em through the steamin' Splitter shredder to add a further fumin' ferocity; a genuine feel for stark Grind frolics that is also present in the additional, furtive flecks of Retaliation, Rotten Sound and old Disfear. The enjoyable Stateside taste is present in the steadfast, gig-ready grindnerve of Assuck, the crusty clippings of Disrupt-esque pseudo-melody or perhaps the clattery yet catchy commotion of someone more recent like Catheter.

There's some good art direction here, which gathers together several bleak lookin' images and illustrations to give the printed lyrics an aptly desolate backdrop. The lyrics show the band's disenchantment with various socio-political affairs, contemplated with philosophical grimness and conveyed through blank verse in a stream o' consciousness style, thus the dismal collage complements the lyrical matter very well. Some of the subject matter is akin to that of Nasum et al, so you know what to expect. 'Cos I'm usually rather inept, sometimes clueless when it comes to philosophical or political discussions, I'm afraid I can't offer much more analysis than that.

Although theres a few production follies here 'n' there, endangering the energy 'n' sparkle of Exitium with a slightly flat, subdued sound, Outsourcing Morality is a very satisfying album, showing armfuls of promise 'n' potential. Taking both current and old skool Scandinavian values and combining them with a traditional US approach, the result is a set of energetic 'n' engrossing Grindcore songs, brought together by a focussed songwriting method that makes them far more than just standard, head-down blastfests. Fierce, resolute Grind but with plenty of sneaky lil' breaks and infectious vokill lines to keep the tracks well clear of the messy blastin' morass that sucks and slurps at the ankles of lesser bands.

December 18th, 2006