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MORTAL WOUND
The Anus Of The World

Me Saco Un Ojo / Dark Descent (2024)
Rating: 7.5/10

With an indecipherable logo, odd cover art and peculiar song titles, Los Angeles, California-based death metallers Mortal Wound return from the pit after a four year silence with their debut full-length slop.

Of all the excellent bands squirming around within the genre, Mortal Wound are one of the more unique when it comes to their song titles, after all, how many other death metal acts boast tracks called ‘Born Again Hard’, ‘Royally Fucked Forever’, ‘The Surf Is Gonna Be Bitchin’’ and ‘Even The Jungle Wanted Him Dead’? It’s certainly a strange brew although I’m not sure if the comedy is intentional… but it has to be, right? Anyway, the band continues to grind out congealed walls of fat, which, if you probe and finger, you’ll discover those low register gruff words within.

The Anus Of The World album runs for 40 minutes but feels somewhat shorter due to the samples plucked from various classic Vietnam movies and a smattering of brief tracks, although the handful which are more substantial are the musical equivalent to rolling a piece of gristle around the mouth.

Wretched, filthy concoctions bludgeon the audience, from the amusingly titled ‘Found Dead In A Bush’ to ‘Engulfed In Liquid Hellfire’. Mortal Wound maintains an aura of oddness and dark comedy even with the staple crushing waves of smothering extremity led by the grindcore flavours of guitarist Sam Shriver’s ghastly vocals.

Admittedly, some tracks would have benefited from a trim because they seem too bulky and bulbous, for example, the one dimensional ‘Drug Filled Cadaver’ grates a bit. However, some of the flabby riffage works to the bands advantage, particularly on ‘Spirit Of The Bayonet’ with its chugging, destructive riffs that call to arms the choking power of Bolt Thrower.

This is all good n’ grisly stuff from Mortal Wound. Did I expect a bit more? Yes, but this is still a wholesome pile of mashed up entrails pulp for the death heads.

Neil Arnold

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