Rating: 8.4

Country: USA

Release Date: 2007

Record Label: Necroharmonic

Track list:
1. Cremate In Hate
2. Wraith Reaper
3. Chronic Blood Larva
4. Creator Chaos
5. Demented Omen Of Masochism
6. Morbidious Pathology
7. Devious Regordation
8. Organ Donor
9. Polterchrist Entrapment
10. Devious Regordation (Live)
11. Chronic Blood Larva (Live)
12. Cremate In Hate (Live)

Band Website: Goreaphobia

Goreaphobia - Vile Beast of Abomination

Chris Gamble- Vox/ Bass
Alex Bouks- Lead Guitar
Craig Smilowski- Drums
Henny Piotrowski- Guitar

Yes, this has finally been exhumed from the bowels of Beelzebub! We all know (and hopefully revere) Goreaphobia's monolithic Relapse Omen Of Masochism single, which, to my mind, left a sizeable dent on the legacy of American death metal. While I am a somewhat new initiate to the order of Goreaphobia, having only caught whiff of the Relapse Singles CDs a couple of years back, I still can't find an appropriate aesthetic parallel to the riff-intensive, martial severity of said single, save perhaps for earlier Revenant. While the ill-advised Return To The Shadowlands promo stretched said Revenant template to its limits, trying and straining the listener's patience with elongated, over-ambitious epics and grating vocals, the return of original frontman Chris Gamble (AKA Mezzadurus from okkult magi Blood Storm) to the Goreaphobia fold bodes well for the future of these unsung titans.

Indeed, the four newly recorded numbers are a bonafide REVELATION. Opener “Cremate In Hate” barrels forwards with homicidal menace, a fearsomely full and propulsive kick drum sound and convincing low-end underpinning keen shards of rhythm guitar and manic, awesomely dynamic grunts/bellows/barks/shrieks. The white-hot, incandescent energy that pulsates and radiates throughout these four tracks is really something to behold, and should dismiss any apprehensions about the band's vitality. After innumerable spins (and considerable time spent headbanging to said offerings in the gym), I am convinced that these four tracks are leagues beyond even the Omen Of Masochism session, which, great as it is, seems phlegmatic and lethargic in comparison. While the booklet suggests that said songs date from 1988, the transcendent quality of the music defies any chronological pigeonholing. Unlike Return To The Shadowlands, these tracks exhibit concision and alarming focus, allowing the listener absolutely NO reprieve as barrages of non-stop riffing and tempo shifts blindside him/her from every conceivable corner. The snare sound is curiously hollow in comparison to the rest of the mix, but this is a comparatively minor gripe reserved for the pedants. In comparison to other burgeoning, nascent bands emerging from the 1989 woodwork, I am convinced that these songs beat the pulp out of several bands I hesitate to name, and deserve as much plaudits as celebrated, earlier bands like Necrovore.

Strangely, the transfer of the Morbidious Pathology session sounds somewhat more compressed than I remember, while Omen Of Masochism has also come out a little worse for wear, though the difference for the latter is mostly negligible. Again, pronounced emphasis is placed upon crafting deftly-harnessed, exceptionally dynamic death metal with elegantly-expressed melody, prominent shades of rhythmic thrash and a genuinely macabre atmosphere akin to Revenant and Blessed… Morbid Angel. A detail-oriented, attentive listener will probably derive far more from the Goreaphobia experience, as the intensity and thoughtfulness of their approach demand more of the audience, though the rewards to be reaped from repeated intensive listens are rich. I'm still left wondering what the final promo tape of the band is like (the one that consequently tolled the unceremonious death knell of the band, with Chris leaving to form Blood Storm), and was hoping that this compendium would be a tad more comprehensive, appending “Conqueror Of Thorns” and said promo to the package. Instead, we get live renditions of three numbers, ostensibly from the earliest days of the outfit.

With death metal experiencing a renaissance of sorts, dedicated disciples have (mercifully) been granted access to all sorts of esoterica that was once privy to a select few. Goreaphobia has been a recondite proposition for far too long, and this precious opportunity, afforded by one of death metal's foremost historians, is one that should be seized by anyone interested in top-class, arrestingly original American death metal.

July 20th, 2007