Visceral Disgorge – Slithering Evisceration

Label: Agonia Records
Release Date: 13-09-2019

Do me a favor and be real with me: What exactly do you expect when you click on the review of an album titled Slithering Evisceration, which is from a band named VISCERAL DISGORGE? There really isn’t much wriggle room (though it would be surprising if it was a smooth jazz album, give them that) where dead giveaways that play it this goddamn straight are concerned. So gauge your expectations accordingly people, because as the title suggests, this will be violent and messy.

Visceral Disgorge play a slam-adjacent variation of brutal death metal. This plays out exactly as you’d expect; it’s slammy, hammy, heavy riffs that feel like a sledgehammer to the face, which is backed up by equally hard-hitting and pounding drums. There are plenty of blast beats, in fact, you will learn exactly how you can have too many blast beats. All this is tied up neatly with the bow of thin, mid-low gurgling vocals and a very polished, somewhat bricked production. As for the bass, it’s more of a suggestion of bass than actual presence.

In fact, I would advise you to check out the first “music” track (because there has to be a pointless intro, there just has to) Fucked into Oblivion to understand exactly what this album offers. Did it? Good. The album offers nothing other than what you have just heard.

The main issue I have with Slithering Evisceration is the main issue I have with a lot of these albums; the distinct lack of variety makes it difficult for the album to stick or keep being interesting. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a big believer in sticking to your guns and focusing on doing what you do well and all that. But the sinking feeling that you are listening to the same song over and over again until the album ends is almost inescapable here. This issue is compunded further by the fact that the band is constantly firing on all cylinders: slammin’ riffs to pounding drums with just the occasional slower passage song after song after song makes the proceedings real stale, real quick. To add to this, the production is glossy, uniformly polished and lifeless, further robbing the album of any character. The two things that do not help with this are the vocals, which, to be frank, are monotonous as all hell. It’s the same low, thin gurgle constantly, with no variation and gets tiring very early on.

The second thing that doesn’t help is an overabundance of the same kinds of riffs. Which is an interesting issue, provided that Visceral Disgorge definitely know their way around a riff. Be it slamming, getting their groove on or going all technical on you, they have that stuff down. It’s just that the riffs aren’t particularly memorable or dwelled on long enough to stick, and from Fucked Into Oblivion to Transfixed In Torture, it’s all an amorphous mass of many writhing riffs, none of which stand particularly out.

Ultimately, though, the score this album gets is heavily dependent on what you wanted to get out of it. If you’re in it for the slammin’ brutal deathiness, then you are sure to get a kick out of it, though with far more interesting bands out there, whether Visceral Disgorge will do it 100% is up for debate. If you’re in it just for the death, as I was, then I suggest you look elsewhere.

Line-Up:
Travis Werner – vocals
Steve Miles – guitars
Charlie Marvel – guitars
Eric Little – bass (allegedly)
Billy Denne – drums

Tracklist
01. Slithering Evisceration
02. Fucked Into Oblivion
03. Architects of Warping Flesh
04. Saprogenic Deformation
05. Absorbed by the Swarm
06. Siphoning Cosmic Sentience
07. Necrotic Biogenesis
08. Spawn of Putridity
09. Transfixed in Torture

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