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GRUESOME
Savage Land

Relapse (2015)
Rating: 8.5/10

Now, before some of you death metal elitists start getting on your high horse belching and bemoaning that this sounds exactly like Death and is unoriginal, please remember that Gruesome is a band meant to sound like Death.

First and foremost, the band features vocalist / guitarist Matt Harvey – best known for his work with gore grinders Exhumed as well as Dekapitator, among many others. He was also part of 2012’s Death To All Tour in tribute of Death and its founder Chuck Schuldiner. Harvey is joined by fellow axeman Daniel Gonzalez (Possessed), bassist Robin Mazen (Derketa) and drummer Gus Rios (Malevolent Creation, Divine Empire).

It could be argued of course that Gruesome has been assembled as a direct tribute to the Floridian masters, who pretty much invented the death metal genre. Savage Land, the band’s debut, is very much an intentional homage to the early Tampa death metal scene; while the cover art leaves a lot to be desired, the sound is very much an ode to Death – right down to those Chuck Schuldiner-like barks.

I wasn’t really sure how I was going to handle this opus – concerned that it would be a pointless exercise in mimicry – and yet from beginning to end the album is a joy to behold. Matt Harvey and company are fully aware that they sound like Death, except for maybe the solos which haven’t quite mastered the art of Rick Rozz. As I’ve said though, that’s the whole point.

The title track opens up proceedings, and it’s a fast-paced death metal face-melter featuring that distinctive Death-like riffage and Harvey’s barrage of snarls. The mid-tempo takes me back to those summer days of visiting the local record store to purchase such ghoulish delights as Deicide, Morbid Angel along with Death etc.; the late 80s and early 90s being the most productive time for death metal and the Florida scene in particular.

Gruesome very much plucks influence from Death’s classic early albums, particularly the Scream Bloody Gore debut (1987) and its follow-up Leprosy (1988). The slow passages twinge with a menace, and the galloping fustiness removes chunks of flesh from the skin. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you’d just happened upon an unreleased third Death album before the band started to add further complexity via the strains of Spiritual Healing (1990). This is a record that may actually give the current crop of contemporary artists a kick up the arse however, such is the mouldy nature.

Okay, so it’s impossible to try to sound exactly like Death and then when you do get close, it’s only natural that on here you’ll hear flecks of those great early albums. Many fans of Death will tell you that the introduction to ‘Trapped In Hell’ sounds inspired by Death’s classic ‘Zombie Ritual’, but who cares? This is actually genuine old school metal played for real and more than happy to wear its influences on its tatty sleeve.

Again, those slower segments are absolute killer – a perfect soundtrack to watching dusty corpses rise from their smouldering graves. ‘Demonized’ has hints of Spiritual Healing’s technicality, while ‘Closed Casket’ features some wonderfully morose mid-tempo segments before sprinting with pace into its no frills chorus. The drums of Rios adopt that simple yet effective method originally applied by Bill Andrews who, although not the most technically gifted of drummers, gave Death their solid foundation. The likes of ‘Hideous’ with its slow, brooding introduction and ponderous doom-drenched avenues is highly contagious, ‘Gangrene’ showcases Rios’ excellent drum nods and ‘Gruesome’ comes whining in with an infected lead, deathly growl and gloomy trudge congealed by the sickly bass of Mazen.

Strangely, the two bonus tracks – covers of Death’s ‘Land Of No Return’ and Slayer’s ‘Black Magic’ – seem rather pointless. I’d have butchered anyone for two more Gruesome tracks, but as it stands Savage Land is actually a welcome return to genuine old school values. With countless bands aping the classic Swedish sound and merging as one great mediocre corpse pile, Gruesome has somehow managed to replicate the recognised, classic Death style but make it sound refreshing.

Maybe it’s because the scene has become polluted by that all too glossy set of dynamics and our undying need for those vintage glories rises. Then again though, it could simply be down to the fact that Gruesome has crafted a very good, solid death metal record that will have you screaming through bloody, gore-soaked vocal chords.

Neil Arnold

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