Hey… psssst… Hey you! Ya, you reading! Like gory images, fast riffs, and… old school death metal?! Well, have I got a record for you! The new album from Anal Vomit, Peste Negra, Muerte Negra, out on May 5th, and its nasty. How nasty? Well, you got to read to find out…
These days, the trend for death metal is to go more the technical route, with faster scale runs, more flashy finger exercises, and to attempt to play as fast and complex as possible with flesh and bone. And then you have the OG bands like Anal Vomit. They don’t want to inspire shredders, they don’t want to experiment with mindblowing song structure, and they aren’t pioneering new ground. They ARE fast, brutal, and gloriously basic in their approach. Why needlessly hit notes when you can ride the whammy bar and alt pick like a motherfucker?! SPEED KILLS!
Since 1992 they have been laying down basic brutality in their music, and this May, after nearly a decade of quiet, they are releaseing their newest abomination, Peste Negra, Meurte Negra. All in spanish, the album is decidedly sickening, and very debased in its satanic themes. Thy are out for souls and you just got caught! Again, not a flashy album, closer to the old blackened thrash ways of the late 80s, like Slayer if they had a really nasty streak. And that’s not to say they don’t play well, as the shredding is extremely fast but not at the expense of comprehension. You can tell the notes and changes from each other, they are fast, and they keep it up with no hiccups or stumbling. The drums are a bit underdeveloped, sound wise, to my ears. They sound like wet slapping, like hitting soppy leather. And the sound is just like the original death metal albums of the late 80s, early 90s, in that its not a bright recording. Very flat sounding, but it recalls a much more brutal time, and is a great change of pace from stuff that sounds robotic. This sounds like a band going in and leaving the studio covered in grue and gristle. It’s also a fast listen, and kind of comes off as one gigantic orgy of violence. Not a lot of variance, but again, not supposed to be either. The album is also graced with what I believe to be the most disturbing artwork since original Cannibal Corpse. So, lot’s of kudos to these guys! Peru for the Win!
If I were forced to pick a couple highlights, I would list Obsessive Sexual Slaughter as a pick, followed by Estacado Comatoso. Honestly just because they glory in the evil imagery, and they just go for it. They are fast, gruesome, and basically sum up the quite nicely. The music can’t get anymore basic than this style, and really it’s either you’re into it, or you think this is the dumbest thing ever. And both right. At least give it one listen when it drops May 5th, 20115, and the RSVP to the slaughterfest will be waiting under your pillow.
