Ah, what comes to mind when thinking of Germany? Spaten Beer (single and double shovel varieties: see the logo you’ll know what I mean), bratwurst, Octoberfest, pretzels, beer, Mercedes-Benz, beer, cheddarwurst… Damn, the music. Well, for me at least, I tend to think of Gut, Sanity’s Dawn, Atrocity, Libido Airbag, Cock And Ball Torture, etc. Other than Atrocity (which I threw in because Hallucinations and Longing For Death are masterpieces), I have to think of pornography, massive logs of crap, sweaty knockwurst, and chaotic grind, all combined into one cohesive whole. This is why this release by Infested had me skeptical at first. I had initially acquired this disc from the Razorback Records distro where it was described as "Brutal German death metal influenced by Cephalic Carnage, Devourment, etc." Indeed, my interest was peaked and my musical palate yearned for a new flavor from Germany, much like my needs at Taco Bell were fulfilled by the inception of the Grande Taco. And much like the almighty Grande Taco, my anticipation was fulfilled in all its meaty, chunky, and spicy glory.

I had also recently been skeptical about younger death metal bands invading the scene and littering it with heaps of untalented nonsense. A majority of the bands I enjoy have very seasoned musicians and it can be heard in their music. According the bio of the band, they began at the ages of 17 in 2000 with little musical experience. Well, much growth has occurred and this leaves us with a hidden jewel. Do I agree with the above description of the band? Most indeed. This is very chunky, brutal death metal which could have easily been labeled NY/TX/OH death metal. But, I have grown weary of such weak comparisons. This is some very heavy stuff, in the vein of Devourment, and early Cephalic Carnage, indeed but the album that came to mind was Fleshgrind’s The Seeds Of Abysmal Torment in terms on intensity and overall flow. Actually, a comparison to Fleshgrind’s first two offerings and demos is more in accordance here. Deep, belched vocals are combined with a very thick guitar and bass sound, with the addition of a skinny "normal guy" screaming. I have thoroughly enjoyed the slower, heavier parts but I find that the quicker, grind parts seem very forced here; forced in the sense that they have more of a hardcore feel to them, much like an older Converge album with raucous combinations of single notes and wild harmonics.

The reason I mention this "forced grind" is because I felt it took away from some of the intensity of the album. Although some may gain semi-erections from technicality, I find it can be a bit annoying at times. Ironically, the faster the bands play on consecutive albums, the more slowly they begin to suck funky ass. When I speak of this, I begin to have visions of post Lord Worm Cryptopsy (go see Cryptopsy on tour now while you can all they do is play None So Vile from start to finish) and everything after Cephalic’s first album. Yes, we know you can play fast and yes, we know you like pot. Thanks for the update! The urgency like an old bladder to spray out some ridiculously fast music and become abstract and "weird" has left most of us soaked and soiled. Don’t get me wrong, I am one of the few old and new Gorguts fans left and I often rock out with my diggler out to old Oppressor but their technicality never seemed forced, just part of their sound. Am I making sense? Well, who cares. On this Infested disc, I thoroughly enjoyed the heavy, brutal riffs yet the riffs in between hearken back to the days of death metal referred to as the "riff salad days," where bands sat around in the studio, each member coming up with their own riffs and then throwing them all into one song. I’ll have the Caesar Salad, thanks. The faster riffs are so off the wall that, most of the time, they just don’t fit into the music. But I know that a technical fiend will not like the slow parts and people like me will not the fast stuff. The music is by no means groundbreaking, but it is so hard to describe and well-played that its interesting. I must also mention that the heavier riffs are so good and so refreshing like lemonade poured into your asscrack, that this disc is definitely worth a spin. My only recommendation would be to link the faster riffs into the music while maintaining their heaviness. If any of the bands I had mentioned above wet your tuba, then you should spend a few bucks on this rather than the new issue of D Cups magazine (except if it’s the college issue!). Definitely Infested is one of the better brutal bands to arrive in 2005.

Written By: Double Ds