Death Toll Rising, Defecation Suffocation
Hailing from Alberta, Canada this five piece’s self released debut album isn’t so much a full-length effort as it is two EPs crushingly smashed together for your enjoyment. Featuring six freshly recorded helpings of bruising death metal and three songs from the band’s previous EP Spontaneous Decapitation, Defecation Suffocation is packed with straightforward, mid- to high-paced malevolence.
Combining burly rhythms with charging riffs (that are sometimes pretty simple, yet no less devastating), Death Toll Rising deliver each track with a sense of urgency and energetic ferocity. Vocally, the growls range from decent deeper end guttural growls to a mid-range, raspy shriek — all the while utilizing plenty of layered backing shouts and growls to give each track a good dynamic.
Visceral Remains
“Visceral Remains”opens up the the album the a quick scream and galloping drums to accompany driving guitars. There’s a bit of a thrash vibe to the opening few seconds of this song before huge scream storms in along with a quickened pace that does it’s best to pound you to dust. The vocal change-ups (from high to low and back again) help keep the song from becoming monotonous. There’s some decent lead work around 1:40.
Blood Stained Ceiling
This next one has a bit of a slower overall feel to it, but that only makes it that much darker. The opening riffs are meaty and churn along with well timed drum blasts. The vocals are more guttural for the most part, though the higher end delivery does come in here and there. The guitars have a bit more of technical aspect to some of the noodling that shines through the bigger riffs.
Defecation Suffocation
The title track opens up with some swirling guitars, thick rumbling bass and pile driving drums. The band couldn’t have picked a better song to represent the album — this is easily the strongest track on the album. There’s even a fun bit of bass work just before the two minute mark that will completely throw you for a loop as it doesn’t fit the mold the band has formed with the first two songs. The best part for me though is the chugging riffs around 2:25 (and subsequent lead) that’ll have you pummeling your own brain with manic head banging. The song also has one of the more dynamic and stronger vocal deliveries. Well fucking done!
The Bludgeoning
Sinister bass and guitar get “The Bludgeoning” off to a dark, crawling start. The dueling guitars around 1:20 mingle nicely with the slower, yet bruising pace. The vocals fit the tone of the song pretty damned well. For such a slow moving track this thing packs a wallop.
Babyslitter
If ever there were a movie with this title, I’d be the first inline — it sounds like a great summer splatterific, gorified movie. At any rate, the song opens with a fury. Massive drums, driving riffs and deep guttural growls let you know the guys mean business with this one. It’s violent and vicious complete with sick leads, great tempo shifts and aggressive delivery.
Transcendence Ritual
The last of the new material is “Transcendence Ritual.” Layered vocal deliveries give this one an eviler-than-all-get-out vibe even as the guys slow down with a methodical, chugging rhythm. It’s also the longest songs on the album, weighing in at 7:40 in length.
Spontaneous Decapitation
The first of the tracks from the Spontaneous Decapitation EP is that disc’s title track. It, and the subsequent songs, are a little more raw and less structured than the newer material, but by no means are they any less destructive. The messiness to the song adds to it’s aggressive and frantic presentation. There’s a lot of creative bits to the song, but they don’t flow nearly as well as the more mature tracks on the disc.
The Empath
I do love the opening drum and riff work on “The Empath.” It’s melodic yet evil as hell, especially as that menacing growl comes in. It’s a good minute or so before the high/low vocal combination makes its first appearance. There’s some pretty decent stuff in here that, had I heard the EP when it first came out, would have clued me into what to expect from the band. They’ve definitely stepped up their game to match expectations.
Demon Rot
“Demon Rot” ends out the album with a 6:49 long dirge of atmospheric guitar noise, an oddly fitting doomy industrial vibe and burly riffs once the track really gets going. There’s a decent groove to the meat of the song as the higher end raspy vocals come in. It’s not a bad song, but I would consider these last three tracks as bonuses to the newer stuff. All in all, Defecation Suffocation isn’t a bad album. It’s got aggression, bludgeoning rhythms and plenty of energy — I can dig it.
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Additional Notes:
n/a