Like pretty much everyone else outside of Oregon, I’d never heard of Portland death-gore warriors Lord Gore until I heard their amazing rendition of Impetigo‘s "Breakfast At The Manchester Morgue" on Razorback Records’ Wizards Of Gore : A Tribute To Impetigo. Admittedly I’ve never been a big fan of Impetigo, however Lord Gore‘s thick, heavy, catchy cover immediately caught my attention.

Shortly after the tribute was released, the band was signed to Razorback and, at the suggestion of Billy Nocera, the madman with the sexy moustache behind Razorback Records, a copy of the band’s 1999 Dark Lords Of The Cyst demo was headed my way. It’s always difficult to tell what to expect from a band when the only material you’ve heard of them was a cover song, however, it is safe to say that this demo tape was a huge, and welcomed, surprise.

Dark Lords Of The Cyst consists of four tracks of the heaviest, muddiest, groovy, gore splattered metal I have heard in a long time. The music is a perfect blend of old school and new school influences. Thick choppy riffs, pummelling beats that sound like a hatchet tearing through human flesh, a few well placed solos, a dark atmosphere and one of the most insane non-harmonized or shifted vocals I’ve ever heard.

Musically the band is reminiscent in ways of underground legends Impetigo, in their slow and methodical carving mixed with the reckless butchery of Exhumed, with the sickening gurgles lows of Gut and Cock And Ball Torture and shrill screeches of Agothacles. The pure putridity of the band isn’t fully brought to the forefront until the sections where the band comes together as one, both vocalists singing the same lyrics at the same time in their two distinct manners. Not in competition with one another, not with the belches coming in louder than the screeches or the shrieks higher than the gurgles, but in one cohesive aural assault.

It is impossible to listen to this demo without feeling the urge to get out of your chair, pull the grip out of your hair, let your hair drop and whirlwind with a complete lack of control in pure, unadulterated abandon. The catchiness of the music is unmatched. Your limbs instantly begin flailing and air drumming sets in, followed by uncontrollable screaming. The next time you walk out in the street and see someone cursing, screaming at the heavens above and flailing about, just remember one thing; it’s not Tourette Syndrome, it’s Lord Gore. Look for their debut full length in early 2002; I know I’ll be the first to get it.

Review byTeufel