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DESECRATED
Ravenous Pestilence

Self-released (2024)
Rating: 7/10

Lake County, Illinois-based upstarts Desecrated are the latest unsigned thrash / death act doing the rounds and they’ve somewhat dived in headfirst with a full-length. The album art reminds me of something slime-coated Pukewraith might vomit out!

It’s a shame this quintet used such a bland moniker so they might just struggle in the underground for identity. The big question is, does the music stand out? Well, it’s certainly akin to being hit relentlessly over the head with a crowbar, particularly the violent axe work and muscular vocal retorts. If anything, Desecrated boast a hardcore vibe as a majority of tracks just pulverise like a runaway jackhammer to the brain.

This is not the grotty deathliness I expected as the combo traipse methodically on instrumental opener ‘Morbid Invocation’ before the barrage of ‘Killing Spree’ takes hold. This is a lethal cut that bludgeons like a grindier Slayer coupled with a modern, abusive set of vocal chops. It’s not set up to create an old school vibe, instead Desecrated go straight for the throat, relying on aggression which is propelled by Jackson Allen’s furious percussion. His blast beats are always on hyper mode as he batters his way through ‘Infernal Necrosis’ like he was reeling off a machine gun. In contrast a song such as ‘Drown’ has more in common musically with bruising groove metal, although the filthy ingredient is Xander Simone’s hideous growl which sounds as if he’s chewing gristle.

Ravenous Pestilence is not a pretty record at all but one more than happy to show off its scars which erupt as rather brutal expressions, such as ‘Euphoric Putridity’ with its steady clattering and repulsive grinding from repulsive rhythm guitarist Erick Pincombe and lead lunatic Randy Marsh. However, the blizzard of bile is never far away and once Allen gets into gear there’s no stopping this Illinois chainsaw massacre.

The title track has an almost sludgy design to its riffage as the band find a grisly medium between some of the contemporary death metal noises and sickly thrash, while ‘Burn The Witch’ again has that unhealthy mix of pace that comes freshly coated in those vile burps. There’s a hefty cauldron on display here with a lot of unhygienic slamming going on and I’m pleasantly surprised by its robust and raucous nature.

Neil Arnold

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