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Category: thrash metal

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Few bands can lay claim to not have a single weak record in their discography. Arlington, Virginia death/thrash/heavy metal survivalists Deceased have been underground luminaries all the way back to their demo days, although the world at large would only come to know them with their 1991 debut “Luck Of the Corpse” on Relapse Records. It’s a nothing short of a miracle that King Fowley and his men have been able to release eight albums. Deceased, after all, is not your everyday death metal band. Their career, now in its third decade, has been cursed by an ungodly amount of bad luck and personal tragedy of about every sort. No wonder then that the release of a new Deceased album is only a sporadic, and nigh-on universally acclaimed, event whenever life allows it to happen. “Ghostly White” is the Virginians first new record since 2011’s superb “Surreal Overdose” and was overshadowed by the accidental passing of longtime drummer Dave Castillo while vacationing with his family in his native El Salvador. Castillo also figured into October 31 and had been with Deceased since 2004. “Ghostly White” seems like an appropriate tribute to a fallen colleague as well for a band still haunted by spectres of the past.

Along with Cannibal Corpse, Death, Impetigo, Mortician, Necrophagia, and Repulsion, Deceased were among the pioneering acts to combine the formative death metal sound with horror cinema. On “Luck Of the Corpse” Fowley expressed his love for camp horror, but things took a turn for the mysterious on “The Blueprints For Madness”. “Fearless Undead Machines” was a conceptual effort based upon the original trilogy of Dead movies from late Pennsylvania filmmaker George A. Romero (with an added dose of science-fiction). From “Supernatural Addiction” Fowley explored horror and science-fiction literature from Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Matheson, or Oscar Brand. Deceased continued with that literary approach on “As the Weird Travel On” and “Surreal Overdose”. Ghosts have always been part and parcel with Deceased but “Ghostly White” is the first instance wherein they form the basis for an entire record. Two decades removed from “Fearless Undead Machines” is the culmination of an evolution the Virginians commenced with their legendary 1997 offering. Not only that, in light of Castillo’s all-too-soon passing the title takes on a whole new meaning. “Ghostly White” is a more than loving tribute to their fallen bandmate, drummer, and friend.

Not that Deceased hasn’t been busy ever since aligning themselves with underground specialist label Hells Headbangers for the LP version of “Surreal Overdose”. In 2015 King and his men released two compilations. First there was "Cadaver Traditions", a double-disc effort that combined the band’s out-of-print classic metal cover album “Zombie Hymns” from 2002, as well as 2004’s “Rotten to the Core” that saw Deceased covering their favorite hardcore/punk tunes with a whopping 17 tracks of previously unreleased material as a bonus. Second, the band’s classic “Birth by Radiation” and “Nuclear Exorcist” demos, from 1988 and 1989, respectively were re-issued in the form of the "Demos from the Grave" compilation. In these times of oversaturation and a near-inpenetrable amount of product, a band like Deceased is a rarity. Here’s a band that has lived by the old adage of “quality over quantity”. Over a thirty year career they’ve amassed a respectable discography, but it can hardly be called excessive. Every album has that hard to pinpoint timeless quality. It certainly helps that each is bereft of any modern influence, irrespective of when and by whom it was released. The strength lies in Deceased’s immense songwriting skill that draws from several decades worth of metal history, knowledge, and years of collective experience. Like the best bands in the genre Deceased has their own sound, one that few have dared imitate.

Fowley has always been exceptionally gifted as a lyricist and at least since “As the Weird Travel On” he has taken great pains to diversify and branch out thematically. Over the years his ability to weave a compelling narrative has only increased and “Ghostly White” is everything that “Fearless Undead Machines” was while casting a wider net and spanning a number of ethereal – and material subjects. Now moreso than ever is that manifest on “Ghostly White” as it covers the expected amount of classic horror movies and literature, but also some surprisingly real subjects. The record opens with ‘Mrs. Allardyce’, a song dedicated to the unseen antagonist from Dan Curtis' Burnt Offerings (1976) and the original Robert Marasco novel upon which it was based. It then storms into the most ambitious Deceased epic in recent memory with the absolutely gargantuan 13-minute colossus ‘Germ of Distorted Lore’. ‘Germ of Distorted Lore’ is about many things, but primarily about campfire tales and their function, or how mankind fabricates horror stories in folklore to deal with the fear of the unknown or the not-yet explained. It’s easily Deceased’s own ‘Rhyme Of the Ancient Mariner’. Over the years Deceased has had several brushes with illness and death, and ‘A Palpitation’s Warning’ is just about that. Related to that ‘Endless Well’ criticizes the boundless mendacity and greed of the pharmaceutical industry, their complicity in substance abuse and addiction, and the surrounding culture of (self) medication that gives rise to said dependencies in the first place. 'The Shivers' is about David Cronenberg's Shivers (1975) and ‘Thoughts From a Leaking Brain’ was inspired by the gothic horror literature of Edgar Allan Poe. ‘Pale Surroundings’ (an excellent contender for possible album title in and of itself) is about John Hancock’s Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971), one of the revered American gothic horrors set in contemporary times.

While there’s still some merit to labeling Deceased as a death metal band they have, most certainly in the last decade and a half or so, proven again and again that they are, and have been, transcending the boundaries of the genre from whence for many years now. Just like now defunct Arlington, Texas epic doom metal combo Solitude Aeturnus there has always been (or at least since 1995’s “The Blueprints For Madness”, for those who keep track of such things) a traditional metal component that has only become more prominent and pronounced as the years wore on. Since that time – and as records as “Supernatural Addiction”, “As the Weird Travel On” and “Surreal Overdose” have aptly demonstrated – Deceased is a thrash/heavy metal act first and everything else (especially death metal) a far and distant second. Before anything else “Ghostly White” is another jewel in Deceased’s already studded crown and all the evidence that good things come to those who wait. Many metal bands often like to talk about integrity but Deceased have been quietly building up a catalog of stellar records that many envy and even fewer can match. Always a niche band, and forever outside of popular taste, “Ghostly White” evinces that age hasn’t dulled Deceased. Instead it has only served to strengthen their resolve. Hail King and his men! May the Night of the Deceased be everlasting.

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Over the last couple of years Queens, New York death metal act Hypoxia has been carving out a respectable niche for itself. Even though they hail from the Big Apple Hypoxia has always been a Florida death metal band at heart. Cannibal Corpse and their “Vile” seem to be the key influence. “Abhorrent Disease” is never overly fast or excessively technical. It primarily rides on pit-friendly grooves, thrashy bursts, and fiery soloing. As much as we enjoyed their debut “Despondent Death” in 2015 it failed to leave much of an impression in the years that followed. It didn’t receive much coverage in the specialized press and it looked to be lost in the shuffle. Now, four years later, Hypoxia returns with “Abhorrent Disease” on Selfmadegod Records which should at least help them in terms of visibility. There was never any doubt that Hypoxia would return, but it was more of a question whether or not they would be able to fulfill the potential of their meat-and-patatoes death metal.

Hypoxia is one of those increasingly rare bands that plays death metal, pretty much without any of the conventional prefixes. They play death metal without resorting to the retro or old school qualifiers. It's a welcome return to those bygone days when bands could be easily classified and sub-subgenres weren't as clearly etched out and delineated as they are today. Hypoxia joins European underground acts as Anasarca, Ekpyrosis, and Ferum that proudly fly the banner for traditional death metal. "Despondent Death” was good enough for what it was but didn’t leave much of an impression otherwise. “Abhorrent Disease” seeks to remedy that and is chunky, thrashy, and groovy without having any big hooks to speak of. Cannibal Corpse and Malevolent Creation clearly served as inspirations but it never gets quite as muscular in its riffing nor as primal in its savagery. Helping in no small part is dyed-in-the-wool veteran Mike Hrubovcak, one of the most expressive frontmen on the American death metal scene.

In the intervening four years since their debut a few things have changed in the Hypoxia camp. The driving force is still drummer Carolina Perez and guitarists Carlos Arboleda and Nadher Tabash with Monstrosity and Divine Rapture frontman Mike Hrubovcak remaining in their respective slots. After the 2015 release of “Despondent Death” bass guitarist Mikaela Åkesson moved back her native Sweden where she now resides with Kolsva-based black metal band Gast. On loan from Monstrosity (at least for the recording sessions) is Michael Poggione. Perhaps it was a bit ambitious to expect Perez’ sometime Castrator colleague Robin Mazen (who’s busy enough touring around the world with her main band Gruesome, no doubt) to make herself available for the sessions. While Hypoxia stays within well-trodden paths it’s evident that everybody greatly enjoys playing the music that they do. What Hypoxia lacks in innovation, it makes up in sheer enthusiasm and gusto for the material. They never pretend to reinvent the wheel but this easily trumps any recent Cannibal Corpse or Deicide record.

What kills “Abhorrent Disease” for the most part is how the album is structured, often to the detriment of the overall pace. ‘Dark Desires’ is a weak opener that is redeemed only by the fact that it’s followed by lead single ‘Condemned to the Abyss’. Then it’s another two songs or about 8 minutes before the next choice cuts arrive. ‘Enslaving Cage’, ‘The Awakening’, ‘Despise’, and ‘Perverse Instinct’ are chunky death metal tracks heavy on “The Bleeding” influence as all four are compact, catchy and have a good hook or solo. Had the album opened with a song as ‘Despise’ or ‘Perverse Instinct’ its impact would have been significantly greater than it is now. In its current form “Abhorrent Disease” isn’t exactly frontloaded with tracks that immediately captivate the listener. To get to the quadruple kill salvo that are tracks 5 to 8 you’ll have to wade through a mostly uneventful opening four tracks. There are far too few tracks as ‘Enslaving Cage’, ‘The Awakening’, and ‘Withered’. ‘Failures Of the Festering Flesh’ would probably have functioned better as a mid-album breather, which doesn’t remove from its atmospheric qualities. We have a sneaking suspicion that “Tomb Of the Mutilated”, “The Inexorable”, and “Retribution” were in regular rotation or part of the line-up’s regular musical diet although “Abhorrent Disease” at no point attains the incendiary level of raging intensity of either.

Where Hypoxia falters most damningly this time around is on the production end. It’s an improvement over the last time but we’re not quite sure what is rubs us the wrong way. Perhaps they were aiming for that Sunlight sound as pioneered by Tomas Skogsberg and Joe Cincotta wasn’t up for the task? The crunchy guitar tone and clanking drum production certainly betray the Stockholm influence. The bass guitar on the other hand is produced like any modern death metal record in that it’s airy, rubbery and clean sounding but without much of a body or any weight behind it. It’s not that Poggione isn’t heard, he most certainly (and thankfully) is, but unlike, say, Demilich, Resumed, or Gorefest, does his bass playing hardly contribute to the overall low-end heaviness. Perez’ kickdrums are also strangely bereft of weight, clicking gently away in reckless abandon. It makes you pine for the warm toned organic productions on Embodied Torment’s “Liturgy Of Ritual Execution” or Deeds Of Flesh’s seminal works “Inbreeding the Anthropophagi” or “Path Of the Weakening”. What is great this time around is the artwork. Whereas the artwork for “Despondent Death” look kind of video gamey and thus goofy; “Abhorrent Disease” looks like a horror scene inspired in equal amounts by Deceased’s “Surreal Overdose” and Malignancy’s “Inhuman Grotesqueries” with Carnivorous Voracity’s “The Impious Doctrine” for that extra horror oomph. Andriy Tkalenko from Daemorph Evil Art Dominion outdid himself. If only Hypoxia was produced by somebody like Ron Vento, Zach Ohren, Erik Rutan, Jason Suecof, or Pete Rutcho.

The biggest issue that Hypoxia faces, at least in our humble estimation, is that it’s neither here nor there. “Abhorrent Disease” is never as cutthroat and hellish as vintage Angelcorpse or Sadistic Intent, as traditionally influenced as Deceased or “Storm Of the Light’s Bane” Dissection, nor as charmingly primitive as long-suffering Brits Benediction or more typically thuggish NYDM institutions as early Pyrexia and Internal Bleeding. It’s as if Hypoxia is intentionally holding back for whatever reason. Castrator, Carolina’s sometime side-project with Mallika Sundaramurthy from Abnormality, is ten, no, a hundred times more bloodcurdling in its intensity than Hypoxia is here. Either something was lost in translation from the rehearsal space to the recording studio or Hypoxia has lost what little fire was in its belly when “Despondent Death” was received to the sound of crickets in 2015. Either way Hypoxia is in dire need of an adrenaline injection or they need to overhaul their songwriting as these cuts wobble around with no clear direction. Whatever the case, Hypoxia is better than this. “Abhorrent Disease” is a step in the right direction but this won’t be remembered as one of the must-hear NYDM records of 2019.