A single year since the release of their debut full length offering, Switzerland’s Embalming Theatre are back, yet again, with even more old school sloppy grinding gore death. Since the release of Sweet Chainsaw Melodies, these musical surgeons have been very busy, recording material for no less than five split releases, so where they found time to write and record 11 new tracks is beyond me, but they pulled it off in the form of Hormones From The Dead. The longest track on this effort is a mere 2:27 and all of the songs are short and to the point, the way old school grinding death metal in the vein of Hideous Mangleus/Blood/Repulsion should be. The only major difference between the material here and on their debut full length is the guitar tone has changed and is much much clearer and not hidden amongst the sloppy production of their previous release. Whether this is a positive or a negative depends on whether you’re more into sloppy gore or if you prefer a cleaner produced sound, personally, I don’t care either way, I think they still sound great. The vocals also stick out a bit like a sore thumb with the cleaner guitar tone, as they sound like they were recorded off an FM radio transmission, which is great for the sloppy gore production, but a little goofy for the cleaner sound, but oh fucking well, Embalming Theatre is still a sonic swift kick to the nuts. The greatest part of this release is the final track, "Buried Alive III : Suffocation In The Sandbox", which contains the most absolutely brutal innovation in extreme metal; the introduction of clapping as an instrument. Yes, you heard me right, clapping. Not only does it sound hilarious, it’s also infectious, now every time I hear it I can’t help but clap along to the clapping parts. Extreme music needs more clap-alongs. If you loved Sweet Chainsaw Melodies be prepared to enter an orgasmic state, as this is basically that release taken to the next level. As long as you can handle the slight change in production, you should love this release. Everyone else, pick up Sweet Chainsaw Melodies and once you’re overwhelmed by the stupid fun it induces, pick up Hormones From The Dead and clap away.

Written By: Teufel