Thursday, November 21, 2013

Bandcamp Picks: Impaled, Corrupt Moral Altar, Oshiego, The Dead Goats



One of the best death/grind albums of the last decade has been given a new lease on life. Impaled's legendary debut has been re-recorded and re-released as The Dead Still Dead Remain, with Leon Del Muerte even returning to do vocals. Scrubbed clean of the grime, it becomes clear that Impaled were more simpatico with Dismember and Amott-era Carcass than they ever were with Reek of Putrefaction. I'm sure there are long time fans who'll find the updated album too clean...but I for one enjoy not having to strain to hear the riffs. $8.99.


Corrupt Moral Altar come highly recommended by Napalm Death themselves - what more do you need to know? Their Whiskey Sierra 7" sounds like Scum got the Wolverine Blues, so no wonder the Napalm guys love it. The EP is available as a "name your price" download.


If the new album by Singapore's Oshiego is any indication, there's a whole lotta evil going on across the causeway. The Great Architect of Nothing is an entertaining slab of blackened death metal, with the occasional early Bathory-esque rock flourish. The album is fast and technical enough for snobs like me who are particular about those things, but the raw production should appeal to anyone whose tastes go in the opposite direction. A hint that great things may be happening in Singapore. $6.66.


Just like in the 90's, the oversaturation of the Sunlight Studios style is working against all the bands that latched on to it; with new releases from Entrails, Demonical and Facebreaker all sinking without a trace, it's questionable who if anyone still suffers from "Stockholm syndrome" these days. Last year I facetiously wrote that The Dead Goats could do well by integrating some Vader into their Entombed/Dismember worship. Doubt those guys actually saw my comment, but their new 6 song EP Children of the Fungus does have a little bit of that straight-ahead death/thrash abandon that we've come to know and expect from Polish death metal, plus a classic Napalm Death song added for good measure. But for the most part these Goats are the best Swedish band to come out of Białystok. €2.