Regurgitate - Sickening Bliss Review

Rating: 9.0

Country: Sweden

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1. Bliss (intro)
2. Abducens eminence
3. Euphoric state of butchery
4. Coccoon of filth
5. Putrid serenity
6. Tenderizing the malformed
7. Violent necrophilic climax
8. Cavernous sores
9. Reborn in latrinic ecstacy
10. Bleed on me
11. Gutrot hogfrenzy
12. Undying lust for cadaverous molestation
13. Battered with a brick
14. Devoured by ghouls
15. Addiction (an unconditional love for blasphemous
perversions)
16. (We are) sadistic hateful scum
17. Worm eater
18. Perish in blood
19. Upheaveal of human entrails
20. Bathed in feculence
21. Bestial sons of devastation
22. Defile
23. Deterioration of grated genitals
24. Excremental ingestment
25. Hacksaw hysterectomy
26. Catatonic possession

Band Website: Regurgitate

Regurgitate - Sickening Bliss

Rikard - Vocals
Urban - Guitar
Jocke - Drums

Double hurrah!! All hail the Swedish gods of Gore!!!! Here is their irrefutable return to form, which ought to act as a stimulus to much unpleasant phallic/clitoral tumescence within the stained garments of many a devoted Gore fan across the globe. Many of said Grind disciples may have been left ever so slightly disillusioned by the Nasum-lite approach of previous release, Deviant, but this new masterpiece ought to dispel any fan-fears that RGTE may have lost their touch. I think Sickening Bliss harks back to the mouth-watering perfection of the inimitable Carnivorous Erection album, adding many a ginger dabble into new RGTE territory, resulting in a much fuller, more rounded 'n' accomplished Goregrind record. The punishing moshparts of Deviant were of course clearly signposted all the way, but on this new opus the pit-friendly bits are buried a bit deeper beneath the bulbous 'n' blasty exterior, making for a far more multi-dimensional oeuvre. The disc also sees the return of the archetypal pitchshifted vokill gut-sludge, which was of course confined to just one or two tracks on the last release. What with the broader, more conscientious approach to songwriting, I feel that this is a complete crystallisation of the Regurgitate sound, effectively erasing the mechanical, robo-RGTE methods of Deviant and the rather gratuitous re-recordings of old time favourites contained within its predecessor, the stopgap EP, Hatefilled Vengeance, thus finding a new, revitalised route along glinting, Gore-splattered chrome. Realistically of course, we can't expect these lads to restore the boomin' ol' low end of the Goregrind classick, Effortless Regurgitation., so we should instead revel heartily in the grindin' advances of this brand new, more in-depth batch o' expressions 'n' experiments.

The peaceful introduction sets the scene beautifully, coming across like one of the demonstration tracks from a compact disc head cleaner kit. Tweetin' 'n' twitterin' lil birdies provide a serene soundscape, all set to be trampled down 'n' pounded flat by the opening blasts of the first track proper. Speaking of the initial outburst of this new effort, it duly delivers the same kind of instantaneous, intravenous, filth-laden fix as their past few [confluent macular] drug eruptions. Whilst it is nonetheless gargantuan, it requires just a little longer to take effect on your salivatin' synapses, which establishes the overall effect of ...Bliss very well, in that the memorable hooks are steeped in more sophisticated structures, clever elaborations on familiar phrases and a greater variety of tempos. The rampant riff catchiness is still extremely prominent, but this time around the tracks lodge themselves further into your brain, each rhythm acting as a stubborn, grey matter verruca! An example of a riff that acted like a plantar wart on my psyche is the opening riff from "Putrid Serenity", which remained firmly lodged in my noggin for many weeks. As well as diversifying their approach enough to include slow 'n' protracted parts, the band even include a smatterin' of solos! Don't fear though, you'll find neither finger-tap twattery nor sweep pick silliness here. Any solos that do rear their insectoid heads remain firmly within the old Carcass mould, flaying your already frayed flesh with their jarrin', strobin' discord. The excellent drumming acts as a steadfast steel-spine to the songs, offering plenty of all-important blasts and kick abuse, along with lovely rollin' fills and more practical, controlled beats for the slower parts. On previous recordings, RGTE drumwork has never caused a distraction from the flow of a song through over-excessive snare indulgence, inappropriate double-kick insanity or anything like that, and the same goes for ...Bliss. The vokills sound better here than on any preceding RGTE release, switching effortlessly back 'n' forth from utterly heinous, raw-throated yammering to simmerin' 'n' bubblin' pharyngeal phlegm projectiles. Given their prolonged absence, the pitchshifted vokills sound veritably orgasmic. You can really hear the draining of lovely 'n' gummy laryngeal mucilage as it gets sloshed and swilled about within the agitated, reddened cavities. I was particularly pleased to hear the classick a capella gurgles at the end of one of the tracks, displaying some true tubercolotic talents. The song-titles are great fun, typifying the gifted Swedish sense of humour through their straightforward yet far-reachin' themes, taking us back to the honest Gore premise of old, removing some of that pathological edge but retaining all their much loved violence, filth, splatter and tool misuse with such titles as "Battered with a Brick", "Reborn in Latrinic Ecstasy","Cavernous Sores" and "Hacksaw Hysterctomy". As we're drubbed, clubbed 'n' dragged grinnin' through this grindin' opus, the songs appear to move back and forth through various phases, starting off with unbridled, blast-stuffed filth, moving through more measured, elasticised stages, ascendin' to another rambunctious plain, decelerating the speed to a sprawlin' tempo towards the end, before cappin' it off with one gloriously enormous finale! It'd be irrational to suppose the band would carry out some sort of overambitious, widdle-laden, off-time 'n' jazzy re-redefinition of Grind with their new album, so I'm sure everyone will be pleased to receive this lovely old-skool sledgehammer to the skull. Those who frequent the official RGTE site will of course be familiar with their objectives regarding this record, stating in one of their announcements that they had no intention of 're-inventing the wheel' anyhow. No gleamin' new alloys here!

As I approach my unavoidable artiste similarity paragraph, the likening of this work to the material of another feels like a bit of a moot issue, seeing as RGTE have instigated much of the wonderful putrescence within the Goregrind scene themselves since their inception. Mind you, the jewel-case sticker offers a nice insight, recommending ...Bliss to Grind-listeners who also enjoy the works of Rotten Sound, Cattle Decapitation, Nasum, Exhumed and old Carcass. I do of course concur with these sound evaluations, but I think ...Bliss is the sound of RGTE coming full circle, extrapolating the very best bits of their past three releases and weaving them dexterously into one monstrous, blastulated bulk. Indeed, any given Goregrind recording owes some debt or other to at least one Carcass work, so that comparison is inevitable. Also, the Nasum influence has of course been discernible since Carnivorous Erection, many of whose tracks were infused with that irresistible, mosh-friendly spirit. Elsewhere, I think there could be a bit of early Pig Destroyer sprinkled about the place, along with a little Malignant Tumour [in their ol' gore days] here 'n' there, perhaps a bit of Inhume or even some very old Squash Bowels. I could quite easily continue quoting other highly respected Goregrind acts for the rest of this review, but any number of citations simply would not alter the fact that this is the pure RGTE through and through; the most effective 'n' fast acting Gorefix we 've had all year!

And so to my nerdular sound production comments. The mixin' desk representation is very rich, very broad and very effective, finding a good balance of crunch and fuzz, cutting any pesky fizz in order that the songs may bludgeon along happily without any fear of becoming dampened by unwanted sound-froth. As stated in the website announcement prior to the release of .Bliss, the band strived for a more 'natural' drum sound, finding a good, genuine sound that seems apt given the nature of the drumwork. No clickiness, no frilliness, just fervid limbs 'n' tortured skins! The vokills have been given plenty of attention during the mixing procedure, ensuring every last drop of laryngeal moisture ended up just as wet 'n' gelatinous on the record as it sounded during its frenzied, bile spittin' performance inside the bespattered vokill booth. The pitchshifting procedure has also been carried out with aplomb, locating the optimum depth for each eructation.

The cover art and layout is superb. I needn't attempt to describe it to you, all you have to do is take a good, long look at it. Not quite as hilarious as the beloved Carnivorous Erection cover, but every bit as inspirational.

Sickening Bliss is an immaculate expression of Goregrind! You must purchase!!!!!!!!

January 23rd, 2007