Rating: 7.0

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Amputated Vein

Track list:
1. Backwoods Brutality
2. Beetlejuice Bukkake
3. Cumstained Murderweapon
4. Ice-Pick Vasectomy
5. Skill-Sawdomy [mp3]
6. Lawnmower Lobotomy
7. U-Haul Full of Dead Bodies
8. Inoculated Life (Gorguts Cover)

Band Website: Viral Load

Viral Load - Backwoods Bludgeoning (Sick Hicks From The Sticks)

Shawn Whitaker - Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Programming

After previous weak attempts at terrorizing the Texan backwoods with its mediocrity, Viral Load has finally come up with something that is of consequence. It's like all this time some wannabe tuff hick was trying to intimidate the campers by brandishing a plastic spoon as a weapon, an effort that went obviously in vain, apart from this one time when he was offered cough syrup by a sympathetic elderly lady. With Backwoods Bludgeoning, you can say that the hick has now got himself a stainless steel fork – not as effective as your standard chainsaw, but it has considerable damaging potential in the hands of a maniac.

Listening to the first notes of Backwoods Bludgeoning, your eyes keep enlarging until they get so big you think anytime they are going to pop out and drop on the floor and start rolling around like marbles. Eventually, however, the monotony sets in and the abnormal swelling subsides. The initial drastic reaction occurred because the congenital miasmic fuzz surrounding Viral Load‘s music had evaporated and the music now sounds convincingly dark, sonorous and rich. Sometimes just by the sound you can make out they mean business and are not fucking around with your time and patience, not to mention money. So you stop whatever you're doing, jab shut your agape mouth with a click, blink twice, and pay attention to Viral Load.

Once you do that, you shouldn't find it too difficult to notice significant improvements in their musicianship and technicality; it's almost as if they've renovated those departments, much to your surprise and pleasure. You will also marvel at how tight and in control the music is, with each and every note and beat being monitored as if a hyper stressed patient was in a very critical condition, and yet how at the same time it's so damned groovy and infectiously catchy. In spite of yourself, you begin enjoying this music, which sounds like a mix of Deeds of Flesh on a good day, the typical TXDM of Prophecy with the spunk of Dying Fetus, and a more steady and sensible Insidious Decrepancy. And so to prove it to the others and mostly to yourself, you start humming loudly to it.

You begin thinking that all is fine and life is great, when you become aware of the gradual waning of your committed attention. Alarmed, you focus all your energies to determine the reason behind this, and discover that the songs aren't necessarily bad; it's because they all sound mostly the same – too repetitive and bland, with little stimulation in them to jolt you from your slowly induced stupor. Towards the end of the album, the chugtastic song “U-Haul Full of Dead Bodies”, beginning with an irresistible moshpit-inviting riff that later cajoles you with a nice old school passage and a commendable lead segment, literally manages to do that. But that's like the firefighters arriving ceremoniously on their fire engine with blaring sirens and flashy lights after the immolating person has already suffered third degree burns. Actually the situation doesn't get so bad, I'm just being harsh.

The surprise package on Backwoods Bludgeoning, besides a hidden acoustic song, is a cover of Gorguts' “Inoculated Life”, which Viral Load has covered competently replete with the exquisite leads and hoarse growls. Its perplexing as to why Viral Load doesn't incorporate more of all this in its own music. In fact, their own Brutalized Beyond Belief album had some very effective leads; also its grandma- achieving-an-orgasm screams would have surely served as a good change from largely the same style of deep grunted vocals on this album.

Despite its shortcomings, Backwoods Bludgeoning stands as the best Viral Load full-length till date and is worth your money if you're a brutal hick/dick. While not particularly life-threatening, it will certainly open your eyes and make you aware of its capabilities. You would do well for yourself, your family and pets, by not taking Viral Load lightly any more.

May 25th, 2007