During the late days of the 80s, one of the most disgusting of all Metal genres appeared: Splatter Death Metal, or Goregrindcore. It was the fusion of Death Metal and Grindcore elements with disgusting lyrics that could make a coroner puke his entrails out, something that could make the stomach turns violently in nausea. It's was acts as CARCASS, IMPETIGO and CANNIBAL CORPSE helped to bring out of the sewers, and it became popular. And the Canadian band PUKEWRAITH seems to be in the will to do the same with "Banquet of Scum", its first full length. The band's music depicts an Old School Splatter Death Metal, with the same elements of the past, but done in a modern perspective.

It means that musically the album shows a band that has deep roots on the genre on its early days, but with a careful insight on the music, delivering things with a refreshed outfit (what means that the sonority is really very good). It's brutal, oppressive and nasty, full of energy and with a massive impact. Obviously it's not a reinvention of the genre, but's honesty and very good. As mentioned above, the sonority is really very good, using the modern technologic devices, what boosts the level of musical brutality, but always in a defined and modern form that can be understood by the listeners without problems. It's like an update of what was unleashed on Morrisound Studios (USA) or in Sunlight Studios (Sweden), so be prepared to have your ears destroyed.

Distorted, sick and nasty, what this one man band (centered on B. Dean, an experienced musician and known producer) is up to is really something that older Death Metal fans will fall in love with, especially due songs as "Grime Fiend" (it's filled with that essential Hardcore influences to create brutal hooks, and it's based on a solid Old School set of rhythmic shifts of bass guitar and programmed drums), "Fleshmaster" (another 'hardcorized' Old School Death Metal song made of catchy guitar riffs and arrangements), "Mire Stench" (this one is in a slower trend similar to what English Death Metal acts were used to do on the early days of the 90s, with rich extreme arrangements, and what low grunted tunes are used on the vocals), "Cyclone of Maggots" (another hooking song that could be a great live hit), and "Mucklord", the right ones to make you puke your intestines out.

PUKEWRAITH is really a surprise for bearing such appeal, and dive into "Banquet of Scum". But if you have weak nerves (and a weak stomach), maybe staying away from the lyrics can be the right thing to do.