New Yawk is well known for it’s brutal underground scene, over the years the state has vomited forth such acts as Internal Bleeding, Immolation and Suffocation, however, it has been a while since any new blood was spilled upon the New York scene. Dehumanized are here to change that. Nine tracks of pummeling, sick, groove-ladden brutality soak their first full-length CD Prophecies Foretold. Opening with the thick, spine crushing title track and into "Kingdom Of Cruelty", Dehumanized crush with their own brand of NY brutality. Steady and heavy beats, plenty of pit-frenzying riffs and rhythms with the sick vocals of Jerry Barco spewing sickness. "Fade Into Obscurity", featuring backing vocals by fellow-NY trachea crusher Ben Kolts of Malamor, is the highlight of this album a slab of corpse-shredding mayhem able to make even the most unmovable fan toss their hair about. Following that is "Solitary Demise", another chugfest with the classic NY-groove. "Infinite Despair" has guitarist Rich Nagasawa flexing his windpipes alongside Barco in five minutes of mid-paced pit-worthy violence. The final four tracks, taken from the band’s 1996 Terminal Punishment demo have thicker production and continue with the band’s brutal approach. "Doomed To Die", "Terminal Punishment", "Condemned" and "Drawn By Blood" are reminiscent of earlier Dying Fetus material, yet far enough from the band’s music to not be considered a clone and is heavy enough to crush the listener into oblivion. I was extremely skeptical when I bought this album several months back, but after a few listens I was drawn in by the band’s sound and now think it was one of my best purchases in a long time. Suffocation may be gone, but with band’s like Dehumanized roaming around, the New York scene may be able to revive and return to the glory it once had. Pick up Prophecies Foretold if you’re into sick groove-ladden brutality, and even if you aren’t, this band may surprise you.

Written By: Teufel