(Today Vonlughlio reviews the debut album of the U.S. death metal band Horrific Demise, which is out now on the Comatose Music label.)
The subject of today’s brief review is Excruciating Extermination, the first album by Horrific Demise, released via Comatose Music this past August 29th. I believe this project was formed back in 2005 by Matt Bishop (Human Artifacts, ex-Lividity) and I heard of the name since he was working on this release for a couple of years. I was not familiar with this particular project, but was with his former band Lividity.
After time in developing the music he gathered some top musicians alongside him to record the album, including Anthony Voight on vocals (Sarcophagy, ex-Gorgasm), Phil Good on bass (Lust for Decay, Necrotic Disgorgement), Tony Tipton on guitars (Sarcophagy, Regurgitaton, ex-Necrotic Disgorgement), and Kyle Christman on drums (Sarcophagy, Human Filleted, ex-Gorgasm). When I saw that lineup I thought, hot damn!!!! A great list of top musicians who have contributed to some amazing releases in the BDM world.
So, three weeks ago I was going on a work trip and decided to stop at the Comatose HQ to get some CDs, and among them was this Horrific Demise debut. I must say that on my way I listened to it three times on repeat, and was really impressed by how good it was!!!. The music is first-rate from start to finish, with great songwriting and skilled execution combining to keep you engaged with each second that passes. It felt so good to just put the CD on without knowing exactly what to expect and to come away with such a great impression.
The guitar performances are particularly strong, delivering killer riffs and solos that are to die for, and are well-placed in the segments of the songs where they appear. The drums are fast and merciless, and a huge complement to the other instruments — blast-beats for days. The bass work is also predictably heroic, and with a production strategy that enhances each of the instruments, it has a co-equal role to play in what you hear.
The vocals are another of my favorite aspects of this release. Mr. Voight is such a talented musician, and along with Mr. Bishop they sure as hell make a great duo in that department.
This is a project that should get more recognition. The album is an impressive debut that exceeded my expectations and has for sure secured a spot on my year-end list. So please make time to give Excruciating Extermination a listen via the Comatose Bandcamp player below.
BANDCAMP:
https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/album/excruciating-extermination
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/HorrificDemise/