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Rating: What you find yourself (yourselves) facing is a Split CD between the two American bands Digested Flesh and Inhuman Dissilency (the cover is perhaps the ugliest and stupidest I've ever seen). A Split is a CD where two (as in this case) or more bands share the space of a Full Length (that is, approximately half an hour). Although both are relatively unknown, it is certainly more likely that you have heard the first mentioned rather than the second. In fact, while Digested Flesh has an album ("The Answer To Infection," released in 2004) behind them, Inhuman Dissilency has no previous publications other than a couple of Demos. Macabre Mementos Records, therefore, releases this work in 2006, which, as often happens with this type of publications, holds quite a few surprises.
Before analyzing the two performances, it is necessary to specify the proposed genre; Slam. What is Slam? Slam is a subgenre of Brutal Death that emerged at the end of the '90s with bands like Devourment and Artery Eruption (who still maintain a strong Brutal matrix) and has consolidated over the past four years. After enjoying extraordinary success from around 2004 to 2007, the genre has become extremely oversaturated and has, in fact, faced a decline as rapid as its rise. Nowadays, Brutal Death purists tend to see it as the downfall of the entire genre; since it requires very minimal instrumental technique, flocks of youngsters with nothing Metal about them but a desire to play hard music dive into this genre, obtaining a contract within twenty-four hours regardless of their actual worth. Musically speaking, Slam consists of the abolition of any melody and the excessive use of Power Chords and Palm Mutes, guitar "techniques" that help create a sound wall in which essentially not a single note is distinguishable. The genre is generally based on slow tempos with some acceleration; in any case, the sound impact always dominates. Just as it was once hailed as the new, natural resolution to a Brutal Death unable to bear more fruits, I repeat, today, it is looked upon suspiciously, even by musical realities endowed with great personality. Having said that, we can begin.
DIGESTED FLESH
They are four guys from New Jersey who have surely been among the first to codify the characteristics of an emerging genre. In my modest opinion, despite being a band that cannot be overlooked if one is interested in Slam, they have never quite convinced me, and after listening to other more valid realities of the same trend, they appear quite dull. They managed, with their previous "The Answer To Infection," to gain some approval, which made them a very representative band within a couple of years. Here, they propose four songs that will certainly not disappoint those looking for something in their distinct style.
The tempos are always quite slow and the guitars produce some of the most disgusting riffs with a technique that is virtually non-existent. For those well acquainted with them, the drum sound is also very recognizable, always somewhat "tired" and capable of making the songs even heavier and more viscous. The very hefty Drummer, indeed, might be the only member with a decent technical background and occasionally creates some interesting passages that slightly lift the overall performance (meaning the whole group's, of course) otherwise really below par. As mentioned earlier, Digested Flesh doesn’t drive me crazy; their songs are always hard to distinguish from each other, and the riffing seems really uninspired to me. The result is a production of four songs that do not leave a significant mark and seem like B-sides from their album appropriately recycled for the Split. Despite my harsh judgment, not everything is to be discarded, and I am sure that less demanding listeners than myself will be satisfied with songs composed somewhat lazily but certainly not terrible. The rating is a full but not ample passing grade; the "style" is unmistakably theirs, but boredom sets in quickly, and you will hardly revisit these songs many times.
Rating 6/10
INHUMAN DISSILIENCY
They are a trio from Pennsylvania. Although they participated in this Split with only three songs (the first, “Inception Of Putrescente,” is an utterly useless Intro), they were enough to make them a modest name in the field. Thanks to the subsequent Split with Vomitous, released a year ago and again composed of only three songs (and a cover), they have definitively “established” themselves as a very interesting reality. I don’t think I will review their second Split because to be honest, it doesn’t present characteristics different from this one, and thus I would repeat myself. Just know that if you agree with me regarding the judgment of "Accumulation Of Eviscerated Remnants," you will also love the subsequent "Supreme Engorgement Of Exquisite Disembowelment" (the titles are ingenious).
As mentioned earlier, surprises in Splits are always numerous; as in this case, it may happen that a completely unknown band comes out with three killer songs that, at least in my case, continued to play for weeks for at least three hours a day (this is, unfortunately, no joke).
Inhuman Dissilency does not have a drummer, and I already know many of you will frown upon this; this forces them to use an electronic drum kit, indeed excellently programmed. Although the sound isn’t the best, our guys managed to think of lines where cymbal play is dynamic, despite sticking to decidedly low rhythms. And then, one must also consider the proposed genre. In Slam, practically everything is rhythm section, including guitar: so the presence of a Drum Machine shouldn’t be considered detrimental and frankly speaking, it takes absolutely nothing away from our guys' sound. The first time I played them for a friend to whom I had defined them as “Super Rotten,” he replied, "But this isn't rotten music, this is druggie stuff!" Considering he’s someone who has breakfast listening to Cripple Bastards and Cephalotripsy, I think you should believe him. No definition could be more appropriate; only brains destabilized by unclassifiable substances could give birth to “music” of this kind. The guitar tracks are slow, shattered; they start with the purest chaos only to slow down more and more, getting lost in whistles and finally dissolving into an inconceivable excess of rottenness. The Drum Programming gives the tracks an incredible groove that turn into a psycho-physical thrashing that can only leave the listener brainless and eager to replay the CD. Although it's probably far beyond the intentions of the three, this record isn’t just about wanting to “thrash”; it’s senseless violence, a punishment without rhyme or reason that one can endure only if endowed with adequate masochism. There's disappointment, there's dismay, there’s all the evil that can be found in everyday life; there's a perverse pleasure in wallowing in music so dirty, muddy, and decaying. My judgment on this performance is no joke, but the pure truth; a proposal that, unintentionally, manages to be extreme both on the sound level and the emotional one can’t help but get top marks and all my love. I don’t think I will find many people agreeing with me, and most of those who know them consider them “too much.” Too slow, too little aggressive, maybe too disturbing (aided in this by the length of the songs, around five minutes). In my opinion, a prophecy of how Brutal Death could (and should) evolve.
Rating 10/10
The overall judgment of the album comes from the arithmetic average of the two performances, but I believe it would have remained unchanged even if Digested Flesh had delivered a dreadful performance. Absolutely unmissable.
Tracklist
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