Rating: 6.9 Release Date: 2006 Record Label: Grindhead Records Track list: Band Website: Roadside Brutal /Corpsesickle |
Roadside Burial/Corpsickle Split -
Blood Binge/Unleashed On The Deceased
|
Roadside Burial are: |
Corpsickle are: Zombie of Necrophilia - Vocals of terror Corpsemaster General - Instruments of torture |
Here's a further grime-coated release from another group of chompin' 'n' honkin', creatures who reside within the seldom mucked-out Grindhead Records stable. This time around, it is Roadside Burial and Corpsickle who are supplying us with the mountain of manure, each of whom excretes steamin' heaps of groove-laden, drum machine driven Death/Goregrind. Seeing as the previous Grindhead outings by Halo of Knives and Sordid injected my ears with a slobberin', double-headed disappointment, I was a little dubious about what this split album would bring to my somewhat cynical canals.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised by Roadside Burial to begin with; delighted with their short, snappy, scene-setting intros and the instofix immediacy of their surging Goregroove. Acting as the secure skeletal structure of each number, the riffs come across as catchy 'n' crushin' despite their adherence to simplistic, cyclical patterns, firmly riveted together by decidedly monochromatic yet undeniably concretous drum programming, which generates the clear, unambiguous changes back 'n' forth 'tween the sections of each song. The bass wraps a woolly, chunky-knit, low-frequency scarf around 'Blood Binge', adding vital warmth to its compositions. Dodgin' 'tween repulsive gurglin' snarls and guttural, abdominal gravel, the vokills provide a menacin' dimension to the sound. Whilst bereft of pitchshift, they do feature a number of other effects. Being drenched in reverb, lugged through various filters and dusted with a sprinklin' of flange, the vokills often resemble the sound of a kettle about to boil! At the risk of sounding slightly gimmicky, they manage to complement the clinical nature of the material very well, further exaggerating the cold, gunmetal timbre with their mechanical, inhuman qualities. Concerning the structural itinerary of 'Blood Binge', the songs run along rudimentary routes throughout the recording, resulting in a rigid 'n' rugged sound, delivered cohesively and with armfuls of conviction. Unfortunately, their continuously cold 'n' clinical approach becomes a little too chilly towards the last few tracks, hingin' on an interchangeable riff-inventory and a dual-speed format of chug/blast predictability, thus the songwriting method starts freezin' up the very momentum that it instigated in the first place. The production is boxy at best, further intensifying the icy nature of the clanging 'n' corrugated sound. The guitars are gelatinous with graininess, almost swallowing up the bass with its ensuing coarseness; the linear drum-prog and fx-sodden vokills encumbering the overall effect of the recorded work somewhat.
While attempting to detect the influences of the band, the jaggedy Mortician scythe-logo gives itself away immediately and one can easily argue that the entire Roadside Burial range of inspirational substance begins and ends with those infamous yet lovable Gore-rogues, Rahmer and Beujard. Blunt 'n' brusque in its composition, two-dimensional 'n' Neanderthal in its technique and Prehistoric 'n' pugnacious in its performance, all 'Tician traits are present and correct within 'Blood Binge', the product coming across as a groove-turgid hybrid of 'Hacked up for Barbecue' and 'Zombie Apocalypse'. However, where those albums stride staunchly through stagnant chug-sludge, the lively vokill hues of 'Blood Binge' easily puncture the furrowed-up surface skin, supplying an additional dimension to the bubblin' sound-mire. Just a smatterin' of other acts can be identified, perhaps the callous knuckle-draggery of someone such as Splattered Cadaver or Carnivorous Vagina, along with the hoarse vokill woofery of Uterus. The resulting tipple is laced with the gargantuan groovery of, say, Squash Bowels, but sadly diluted into an 'Egoleech' flavoured Cock and Ball Torture cordial, leaving a somewhat insipid aftertaste that recalls the more plodular, uninspiring moments of Meatknife or Hymen Holocaust.
Overall, Roadside Burial have penned an operative, practical and effective set of songs, most of which achieve their skull-powdering objectives. Accordingly, my final-rating biting gripe centres upon the songwriting system, which I find to be much too clinical to allow complete enjoyment of 'Blood Binge'. Just a lil' warmth here 'n' there could've worked wonders for the songs; an elaborated, flexible riff, or a couple o' memorable vokill patterns every so often would've certainly diversified the material.
Seeing as similar stenches emanate from the Corpsickle kitchen, their chefs bring the same sort of flavours to the table. In the manner of Roadside Burial, the band employ well-greased, foreseeable song-structures, unyielding drum programming and a trouncin', intractable delivery, rattlin' away with gore-soaked abandon afore piling headlong into high-spirited, common-time slamulence. The rapid-fire rhythm section is often restrained to a minimal, binary arrangement, dispensed at a more measured, leisurely pace, the purpose of which being to heavily accent the judderin', and convulsive breakdowns. Whilst 'Unleashed On the Deceased' pivots upon emblematic Gore/Deathgrind motifs, the vokills that accompany them possess several personal characteristics of their very own. Coming across as more of a scornful, sneerin' snarl than a sub-human, gut-straining bark, they serve to exemplify the sinister atmosphere through menacin' chants. Given the supple texture of the vokills, the lyrical content is rendered predominantly intelligible, thus allowing one to comprehend entire verses! Effects are kept to a bare minimum, the band opting to enhance the narration only with subtle reverb. The lyrics themselves are carved deep into Gore-cheeze, bringing hackneyed horror tales of necrophilia, zombies and cannibalism. The sound production of Corpsickle echoes that of the Roadside Burial songs, exacerbating the correspondingly clankin' 'n' clinical sound with a cold, granular edge, making for another detached 'n' frosty atmosphere. As with their split-mates, it's simple to interpret the bands from whom Corpsickle draw their main inspirations. Once again, the unstoppable chugment of that much-loved burly duo permeates nigh on every note, phrase and progression of 'Unleashed On the Deceased', borrowing many an idea from the Mortician sketchbook to create this seething mass of zombiefied sound-rot. The inevitable changes from tightened drum machine rigidity to flowin', infectious breaks bear similarities to the Amoebic Dysentery career-apex, 'Mongoloid Metal'. The manner in which the some of the lyrics are recited brings to mind our putrid old friend, Steve-O, their mangled stream of consciousness style being vaguely reminiscent of the more elongated songs from the classick 'Horror of the Zombies' album by Impetigo.
My summary of 'Unleashed On the Deceased' will closely resemble that of 'Blood Binge', so I may as well pull the two together into a concise 'n' conclusive sentence to round off my review. Good, but by no means essential.
November 1st, 2006
