California's resident MDs of gore deliver more metallic malpractice
Back once again to turn the ER into a slaughterhouse, Carcass-worshipping quartet Impaled deliver another salvo of gore-drenched death metal with their Willowtip Records debut, The Last Gasp. The band's fourth album sees them making a full recovery from 2005's Death After Life, an album marred by lackluster production values and a dearth of proper promotion by former label Century Media.
Sporting a spectacularly gruesome album cover and drastically improved sound quality, finding a new home at Willowtip seems to have rejuvenated Impaled, transforming them from the lethargic Romero zombies they sounded like on Death After Life into a bloodthirsty pack of 28 Days Later-style flesh-eaters. And although many bands have attempted to fill Carcass' entrails-spattered scrubs, what separates Impaled from the rest is a body-bag full of memorable riffs which the band deploys with surgical precision throughout The Last Gasp. Almost every song features some sort of guitar-based melody that will embed itself deep into your skull with the force of a lobotomy drill, imparting each song with its own unique qualities while still creating an overarching atmosphere that's as fetid and ghoulish as the grave itself. Impaled understand the importance of a good hook, and it is this knack for balancing all-out carnage with irresistible catchiness that makes them stand out from the bulk of their more technically inclined Willowtip label-mates.
Impaled also understand the importance of not taking themselves too seriously, as evidenced by the often humorous lyrical bent of The Last Gasp. "Masters of Ordure" is a three minute and thirty second ode to feces, while "You Are the Dead" is a sardonic indictment of the medical industry. In spite of their droll take on murder and mayhem, Impaled are dead serious about their craft and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining batch of songs amidst the catalogues of their "gore metal" brethren.
The Last Gasp is a solid, enjoyable release that will have you alternately humming along to the riffs and laughing hysterically at Impaled's twisted sense of humor. A must for headbangers who like their death metal with an extra helping of offal.
| Reviewer: Josh Haun Added: December 31st 2007 |
|
