Rating: 8.5

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1. Bloodwork
2. Deathmarch
3. Trepanation
4. Implements of Hell
5. Phencyclidine Induced Neurosurgery
6. Rotted Flesh Filter
7. The End
8. Entangled
9. Poison Replaces Oxygen
10. Unparalleled Perversions
11. Ichneumonid

Band Website: Saprogenic

Saprogenic - Ichneumonid

Jeremy Swanson - Vocals
John Skinner - Guitars
Tim Recchia - Bass
Jerrod Macpherson - Drums

Straight to the jugular, this band does not beat around the bushes. After a three year absence, the band unleashes their latest vicious offering 'Ichneumonid'. Seriously, this album is all fucking killer and no filler. Nothing extraordinary or mind blowing, but this album does what it does best and what it's supposed to do: pummel you, rape you of your dignity, spit on your wounds and then reveal the truth about your origins that you're an "accident" child who was adopted and whose real parents were heroine junkies that later died from catching AIDS from a fat loser 56 years old pedophile who goes to church every Sunday morning.

This is such a solid release, when you listen to this, the audio that is caught by your eardrums transforms into microscopic pulses that go to your temporal lobe and then down to your spine and tells your muscle tissue to destroy whatever closest thing next to you. It's a miracle that I'm listening to this and writing this at the same time. Three years of wait, fuck yes this was ever worth it! The guys in the album may not have long hair and don't look that metal at all but Christ, can they ever kick the shit out of your braces! That stereotype is fucking dumb; these guys are genuine at what they do.

Compared to their debut, musically nothing has really changed - tight as fuck drumming performance, the same amount of cranial pummeling riffs, ultra beefy dominating gutturals, basically saying: if you dig the debut, you'll dig this. This time the guitars aren't as compressed, the vocals are little more up in the mix though not as overwhelming and yes, Jerrod's clicky kicks are still there, but not as annoying. While you were reading the top part of this review, your eyes probably skimmed to the left section of this page to check where this band is from and when you saw where this band from you probably said to yourself "wow, another mediocre release from an American death metal band. yay." That's where you're wrong. Even though Saprogenic may not deliver something new, they stand out like herpes on a Johnson & Johnson's baby commercial. They have a true identity that you can't lump with other mediocre mid-western US death metal bands. While they have the ultra guttural vocals, they have their own formula that takes some riffs from the bland blasting Brazilian bands and some frozen evil black metal riffs from Sweden and the band makes a record for the listener that has something most of the bands now forget to do: memorablity.

Their debut had a song called "Prolapse Trachea Fuck Toy" which had this awesome metal as fuck/head banging/fist pumping marching Krisiun -like riff that always made me jizz in my underwear each time I hear it, and following after that riff, is a neck twisting slamming breakdown. That's what made me a fan of this band. Riffs that get stuck to your head, making you hum them when you're working, eating, praying, pooping, reading, etc. In this album, "Rotted Flesh Filter" is that perfect example of the earworm riff. At exactly 0:59 from blasting, tremelo staccato riffs leads into a doomy face-crushing riff and after that brutal chugging riffs close the song by slowing down.

If you are looking for something profound within the band's lyrical message, there's none, Saprogenic is a minimal band that doesn't have any lyrics printed. I don't even think lyrics to this day should be printed if you play in a death metal band, can anyone be taken seriously with cookie monster vocals? No, not unless you threaten to rape and murder them. I just wanna say that Jeremy has a fucking beefy roaring throat and those screams at "The End" when that epic riff returns (2:22) are fucking invisible grapefruit hand formation worthy.

If you do decide to take my advice and actually pick this album up, I only ask for one favor: buy it straight from the BAND, not the label. They sell it at the same price. Forever Underground sucks as a label and as a distro. You're probably wondering if I have some personal vendetta with the label, well yes, I actually do. They fucking suck and they seriously live up to their name "Forever Underground". This album was supposed to be released a year ago but it was delayed over and over again. Though the distro may have a decent selection, I had to wait for 2 months to get my orders from them. Support the band, not the label. You can get it for only $8, so skip lunch and buy this cd, you're getting fat anyway. Am I whoring the band? Yes, as long the label doesn't get any $, I will whore good bands. You can also paypal the band at info@saprogenic.com or snail mail them at this address:

SAPROGENIC c/o Jerrod Macpherson
33373 Utica Rd. #2
Fraser, MI 48026
U.S.A.

Remember, support bands that you love so they can continue making the music you love.

Oh and one more thing...BASS DROPS, BITCH!!! BAAASSSSS DROPS!!!

April 30th, 2006