Just when I thought the Czech scene had run out of new and interesting material along comes Space Symphony Around Us by Carnal Diafragma. This outfit has actually been around for a number of years, having formed in 1997, but hadn’t come to my attention until I happened to come across a track of theirs on the band’s MySpace page from their latest album featuring an intro, and musical inspiration, from the infamously twisted Happy Tree Friends. After one listen of the ridiculous gore-track, featuring high-pitched whistling and typical Czech humor I knew I had to pick up this disc.

Upon listening to the full album a few times I have to say I don’t regret my purchase in the slightest. The 17 track effort clocks in at just over 32 minutes and contains some of the freshest sounding, and infectiously contagious, goregrind I’ve heard in ages. The material is up-tempo grinding gore, with emphasis put on being catchy, with the vocal variations of Gut; from rasps, to throaty cries, pitchshifted gurgles and shrieks. The album literally sounds like every vocalist from every gore or porn grind band was brought in to record guest vocals.

Included on the album is possibly the rawest Napalm Death cover song ever recorded; "Unchallenged Hate". The original is still among my favorite death/grind tracks of all time, and though Carnal Diafragma don’t take the material to a new level, they also don’t embarrass themselves in the process, though purists will likely be not-too-happy to hear burp-growls and Gut-shrieks throughout, but fuck those a-holes anyway. The album also features an equally twisted cover of the Carcass classic "Malignant Defecation".

Trying to pick single highlights on this album is nearly impossible, needless to say if you’re even half as big of a fan of the demented stylings of Czech grinding gore acts, you should definitely make the effort to look for this album. I don’t know what’s in the water in the Czech Republic, but their beer is delicious, their porn starlets are gorgeous and their grind is amongst the finest in the world!

Written By: Teufel