For some reason, Impaled was never on my death metal radar. I am not sure if it was due to reading reviews and seeing the frequent references to Carcass, a band I have only come to appreciate when I was older. Or, it could have been because of that album cover that had someone shitting into cupped hands. But, as we know, we can’t judge a cold cut by its appearance, as head cheese is quite delicious!

Throwing this album in, I was not expecting all that much in terms of originality. And, although originality does not seem like the focus of the band, creating thrashy, focused, and well-crafted songs is. The album is unbelievably catchy and easy to listen to from start to finish. The most impressive part of the album is its nod to the early styles of death metal and thrash and doing it without seeming boring, cliché, or overly-zealous of the older style. I can hear plenty of Carcass, with that consistent flow and rumble of songs, tempo changes, and majestic nature of later albums. At times, you can hear bands like Kreator, Master, and Infernal Majesty, in terms of the thrash factor. The beginning riff to the title track sounds like something off of a Armored Saint record and the beginning to "The Visible Man" as well as some of the riffs would fit nicely on Megadeth’s Rust in Peace. I have read the previous productions were suspect but this album has super slick production and a thick sound that complements the style of music. The musical work is more than competent and the vocal trade-offs are well-timed and fit the music to a T. We can even use that capital T to say “Capital T for tender,” and you can use that line when you see fit. At times, the music has that “epic” feel, which adds to the diversity of the disc.

Some may question how an album can lack originality but have diversity. When you listen to the songs, you will eventually say to yourself that you have heard the music directly or pieced together various bands to arrive at Impaled’s sound. Very rarely do you hear a band in the broad scope of underground metal that is enjoyable to listen to. It has that universal appeal that most bands do not have, much like The Commodores and Strawberry Alarm Clock. Yes, these bands have universal appeal. Either way, Impaled’s newest release is impressive and gave me the incentive to check out some of their older stuff.

Written By: Double Ds