Surgery in progress for Cartilage.
Formed in 2014 in California, the band comprising Mark Wallace (vocals), Teresa Wallace (guitar, Emasculator), Michael Flory (guitar, Logistic Slaughter, Cobweb), and Adam Houmam (drums, Ghoul, ION, live for Exhumed…) continues its partnership with Everlasting Spew Records for the release of its new album, Operating Altar.
We kick things off with a sample from Metal, Bone, and Sinew, an aggressive Old School-sounding opener that uses effective patterns to build its choppy riffs and screams which are mostly piercing but sometimes more massive. The guitars display a certain technical finesse, regularly injecting sharp harmonics or hints of Thrash influences, much like on S.C.D. (Sudden Cardiac Death), which kicks off at full speed and, in turn, tramples us underfoot. Drums are far more aggressive than on the previous track, letting the double pedal and blast beats dominate the assault before moving on to The Autopsy: A Surgical Sonata, which also kicks off at full throttle and imposes a furious yet somewhat shifting tempo, especially toward the end. The band picks right back up with The Sanguine Fiend, which races along at a brisk pace and delivers its violence in a fairly direct manner with a powerful dual-vocal chorus; then comes A Lymphatic Labyrinth of Roiling Rot, which once again picks up the pace, offering an energetic and catchy approach. The pure aggression continues on Among the Offal, the next track, where the musicians return to that Death/Thrash blend with some passages that are far more jagged than usual, but also much more strident, whether in the vocals or the leads. Anatomical Incantations brings a groovier touch to the Californians’ death metal, but the title track The Operating Altar, quickly returns to an uncompromising onslaught packed with blood-soaked leads, even picking up speed halfway through the song. The frenetic finale will undoubtedly have us headbanging before we get to enjoy the symphonic interlude offered by the introduction to Stitch by Stitch, only to be swept away by this final torrent of rage with its devastating rhythm, which also doesn’t hesitate to pick up speed from time to time.
Cartilage certainly knows how to handle Death Metal, but the band doesn’t shy away from adding Thrash elements to its speed-ups, making Operating Altar the perfect gift for fans of Old School violence.
75/100
