2 stalwarts of the Death Metal underground have teamed up for a new split of rotten proportions. Australia’s GUTLESS and America’s MORTAL WOUND, to be precise. Out via Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Maggot Stomp records on September 4th.
Gutless start the split off with a tempest of visceral riffs and maniacal blastbeats. Grisly vocals ensue and the filthy madness drops into a barbaric cascade of sludgy grooves and tarry riffs with a molten ferocity that is intense and gritty. Thick bass lines cut the mix while the convulsing guitars and crashing drums keep the hooks tight and memorable. Such a rotten slew of death naturally requires some pretty hideous vocals which we thankfully see throughout the two tracks. This is meaty Death Metal of the most grotesque order, with a sound that implies a lurking presence of morbid energies beyond comprehension. Whammy dive-bombs occupy the solo sections with some blistering scale runs, accentuating the old school carnage beautifully. A monstrous A-side to the split.
Mortal Wound follow up with some sampling to set their side off effectively. Hammering drums forcefully punch into fruition with masterfully grooving riffs, displaying a primal and relentlessly enjoyable performance. The vocals are so low-register, it is as if they are being recorded under a layer of cadavers, while the swampy guitars and drums only add the most unpleasantly wicked sounds to the instrumental offerings. This side is a bit more stripped back production wise but does not lack the bite that Gutless set the bar with. Adding touches of atmosphere in the lead work while staying firmly in the camp of rhythmically charged, macabre battery, there is no denying the sonic upheaval of tombs is just as strong on this monolithically gross B-side.
This split is just as unfathomably putrid and crushing as one could hope for from two of the most rancid underground artists. Joining forces to deliver total corpse-molesting devastation, this international opus of rot is certainly not for the faint of heart with its ear-tainting Death Metal excellence of decaying proportions. -8/10
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