Quite unexpectedly, without any causeries in breakfast televisions, fifteen years after „Putrefaction in Progress” was out, the fourth album of these Dutch defenders of filthy musical decompositions became the (putrid) flesh this year and started to rot on the off-guard scene. As compared to the previous early offerings, front cover might mislead a bit... Yes, it contains two living persons, however this screaming woman doesn't look happy being there. What's more, for the first time seeing that, I thought: what the hell Mortiis was doing here? But wait, I see, that nose is wrong... Phew, anyway, the band composed thirty-three songs clocking in 22 minutes with most of them falling under one minute, thus the mean has been maintained. This time under the wings of Rotten Roll Rex label and this time with absolutely best sound realization to date, especially when it comes to drums ferocity. They sound really great even during guitar and bass splattering rampage.
And as for musical side, the album is the most accesible in the whole band's catalogue. However, such a comparison of this adjective and Last Days of Humanity's music is like a saddle on pig back. The opening track which is, in fact, the longest one lasting 2:07 (?!), starts pretty sluggardly becoming a kind of sick doomish monster, then turning into speedy insanity, the thing the tigers like best, with „the pain is unimaginable” somewhere in lyrics. Yep, they can't be wrong. The blasting paces dominate to fulfill goregrind formula requirements, yet as mentioned above, there are songs like „Molecular Shutdown of the Hematopoietic Cells”, „Roots of Pathos” (13 letters, the shortest title in this deranged family), „Molecular Pathological Epidemiology of Colorectal Neoplasia” or „Ciotus Analis and Defloration” where catchy guitar parts squash my internal organs. But one of my favourites is „Mass Chromatography”, for me just a good piece for headbanging and going crazy in the mosh-pit. And am I facing some Gutulax influences? Yes, I am! On a final note, while working on some chromatographic lessons during pharmacy studies many years ago I didn't expect to hear such a great song about it. Anyway, it's good time to mention Hans and his vocal decompositions, as they're out of this planet definitely. Well, I'd imagine myself on lost spacecraft somewhere in GN-z11 galaxy with all the crew already mutilated, getting away from a hybrid of alien and the worst ever nightmare that is barking, raving and spitting the green venom all around to get my poor body. A total madness there is no escape from. That's Hans vocals sound.
What else? The album consists of several short intros taken from horror movies: sometimes I am a bit scared (e.g. in „Coagulative Necrosis” or „Distinguishing Between Validity and Utility of Psychiatric Diagnoses”), sometimes I agree („Examination of Reeking Putrefying Organs, Tissues, Body Fluids”), sometimes I find it to be a near miss in the opening for „Running Through the Blood (Fear of God)” which sounds like King Arthur coming up with all his suite to Camelot. But the most important in the case is that these tunes don't disturb the whole atmosphere. So, summing the thing up, this album is awesome on the one hand, and absolutely offensive and repugnant on the other hand. Guitar work avoided falling into noise anti-contruction and provided songs that everyone may choose to be its favourite every single day. All supported by bass lines avenging force and Hans belting out make those 22 minutes run extremely fast. And nice. Well, my private 2021 music chart started to decompose... Mind you, these are last days of humanity.
90/100
-Tlacaxipehualiztli
(written in May, 2021)
