The dreadful Sanguisugabogg is back.
Two and a half years after an album that opened many doors for them internationally, the enfant terrible of Brutal Death, composed of Devin Swank (vocals, Dripping, Bludgeoned by Deformity, ex-Limbsplitter…), Cody Davidson (drums, Gutting, Dyskinesia, ex-Mortician live), Ced Davis (bass, Dyskinesia) and Drew Arnold (guitar, Mutilatred) announces the release of its third album, Hideous Aftermath.
Rotted Entanglement hits us in no time, offering heavy riffs with devastating drums over which the vocals fit naturally, delivering a constant assault of Old School patterns, but the mosh part slows down the mix to make it even more imposing. The second part of the song is a little more macabre, as is Felony Abuse of a Corpse, which maintains the heavy and imposing tones due to the detuning, but the jerky elements are also part of the process, giving it that uncontrollable side that will ignite the rhythm before a more disturbing, pachydermic final. Damonteal Harris (PeelingFlesh) comes on this track, as does Todd Jones (Nails) on Ritual of Autophagia, which follows on in a similar vein, borrowing its danceable passages from Slam, but taking advantage of its guest to adopt a more raw touch. The band follows up with Heinous Testimony and its dissonant leads that embellish the onslaught while ensuring fairly regular catchy rhythm changes, but the track is shorter, getting to the point more quickly before propelling us into Abhorrent Contraception, where the musicians welcome Josh Welshman (Defeated Sanity) to reinforce the vocal assault. A few touches of technicality counterbalance the extreme heaviness of the breaks, but it is after the sample that the violence reaches its peak before finally giving way to a devastating bass groove on Repulsive Demise, a track with disturbing noises and an atmosphere close to industrial. The two worlds blend beautifully, especially when the drums and roars respond to each other, but the band returns to its usual approach with Erotic Beheading, where abrasive riffs take over, complemented by explosive drums with a sound so characteristic of Brutal Death Metal. Rage continues with Sanctified Defilement and its cry of distress, which blends seamlessly with the first wave of violence, but quickly takes on a much more ferocious attitude thereafter, once again meeting the expectations of their audience. The album is already coming to an end with Semi Automatic Facial Reconstruction, a composition that allows us a brief moment of respite before hitting us with full force with some Grind influences and the unique vocal support of Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation), Then Paid in Flesh comes along to assault us in turn, first in a conventional way, then with a suffocating atmosphere led by Dylan Walker (Full of Hell), who treats us to a moment of true dissonance where terror and slowness naturally echo each other against a backdrop of noise.
Although Sanguisugabogg is now one of the big names in Brutal Death Metal, the band is not resting on its laurels with Hideous Aftermath, embellishing massive compositions with complementary influences ranging from Grind to Industrial. The album is incredible from start to finish.
95/100
Interview coming soon.