23 Dec 2011

Amputation Spree - Three / Inferno [EP] (2011, Self-released)


Being a relatively new genre slamming brutal death metal has yet to see much innovation and change. Most slam has a very modern sound and a few elements in common with the loathed deathcore genre and Amputation Spree, the "thinking man's slam", is no exception.

The American one-man band with lyrics centred around the abstract and esoterical offers low-to-mid paced slam with little going on other than ultimate brutality. The vocals are gurglingly guttural, the riffs are good and the drums are... Well, inhuman. The guitars have a tendency to be surprisingly melodic at times, and while the vocals, although heavily processed, are good most of the times. There are few moments on this three-track EP that seem rather cheesy, especially in the first track where there are parts with clean singing. Stuff like that really bothers me because it contradicts the straight-forwardness that otherwise marks "Inferno".

This third EP by Amputation Spree generally has a heavy feel to it, which is really emphasized by the pounding drummachine. The last track seems a bit out of place on this short release, mainly because it sounds mostly like one of those cyber-deathcore-technogrind bands that seem to be so in nowadays. It sort-of goes against the flow of the EP and were it not for that particular track I'd say this project of Spencer van Dyk is very much like Shawn Whitaker's Incidious Decrepancy. Overall you could say that Amputation Spree is an alternate take on slamming death metal with a crispy guitar sound and tasty melodies, but with little depth and few layers. 6/10 guitars.





Tracklist:
1. The Whore of Babylon
2. Messiah
3. The Age of Reason

Visit Amputation Spree on Bandcamp

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