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ANTHROPOPHAGOUS
Abuse Of A Corpse

Headsplit / Night Rhythms Recordings (2023)
Rating: 8.5/10

Following on from their 2021 full-length debut Death Fugue, West Springfield, Massachusetts-based Anthropophagous returns with a cracking example of old school death / thrash led by the grisly vocal snarls of Shane Dupuy whose guitar sound is as equally fetid.

Delivering classic thrash dynamics, this sophomore outing could have easily been created around 1987, but what separates it and drives it into contemporary domains is the gnarly vocal delivery. Even so, it’s not just the vocals which give this record the edge; there are riffs aplenty to lap up like on ‘The Oozing Room’ which provides a veritable feast of shifts.

Somehow the band also brings in some very impressive angles; the opening curves of the title track being a fine example of the diversity where a degree of technicality is employed to keep us guessing. I have to admit that the more I’ve listened to this the more I’ve revelled in its layers, because Abuse Of A Corpse is a truly crafty little record where vicious thrash metal scurries alongside slower, deathlier drizzles and yet I’ve not heard many bands doing it this way.

The brilliant ‘Incurable Blood Cancer’ is a prime example as to how the band creates nasty moments of pace before shifting into slower, catchier grooves, and then there are the angular solos, the nodding old school percussion and the filthy bass trickles. There is so much going on here and yet without any riddles of complexity. Anthropophagous are simply a creative bunch with an eye for the macabre, so put these guys on your rotten radar.

Neil Arnold

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