Of all the genres in the blanket of Extreme Metal, one of the least original is Brutal Death Metal. The debut full-length from Italy's CARNAGESLUMBER, "Sadistic Mechanical Evolution," is no exception from this statement. However, while unoriginality does not constitute bad music, this album still has that.

At the beginning of "Termical Visions," the listener is introduced to the horrendous guitar tone and mediocre riffs of Carnageslumber. Even the vocals come off as lackluster. The song follows an anticlimactic structure before reaching a breakdown that is too short to fully enjoy. If there is one thing to take away from the track, it's that the drummer is a beast behind the set, especially during technical moments.

While the record has a shaky start, it does get better. In fact, it gets better with track two, but it peaks with "Mitochondria" and "Symbiotic Age." After these two songs, the album has plenty of highs mixed in with the very same lows exhibited at the beginning of the record.

"Mitochondria" shows the first signs of life on the album with good riffs and a strong breakdown, but it isn't until "Symbiotic Age" when there is an attention-grabbing moment. The riffs reach a point of interest and the breakdown is flavorful by this band's standards. "Mercur(e)y" stands out for its use of an odd time signature. This album scarcely has riffs that progress in an interesting way until this track.

After listening to this record, it is clear that the band needs to work on songwriting. There are times when transitioning is rough, but the largest issue is the riff variety. There is no progression on this record outside of "Mercur(e)y" or "Sideral White Creator." Every riff repeats four or more times as if it were a requirement. And because the riffs are delivered quickly, as most riffs in the genre are, they come off as annoyingly repetitive and dull.

Not only this, but the vocals could be worked on too, and not just because they are lackluster. "XperimentX" features a breakdown that is completely ruined by choppy lyrical structure and overlapping vocals. The band implements this technique of overlapping vocal lines, and it plagues the record, making the vocals even less appealing. The vocals could sound fine if they had a Hardcore edge to them, as they are already close to this sound to begin with, and the overlapping could be solved by simply knowing where and where not to place lyrics.

If you are thinking that this record will have the same edge as fellow Italians in the scene like SICKENING, VOMIT THE SOUL or UNBIRTH, there are moments where the record has similar qualities. However, these moments are rare, and you will likely be disappointed. "Sideral White Creator" actually has a strong, NYDM-style slam in the vein of INTERNAL BLEEDING. There is definitely potential with this release, but the band just failed to reach it on this record.