I have this feeling, and I'm probably not alone, where it almost bothers me when bands use synthetic elements in their recording. I've always seen Metal as this sort of raw, dirty, and honest music, so the thought of bands recording stuff at half-speed, or using pre-programmed drums, just doesn't scream 'authentic' to me, generally speaking. So, where does that leave me with a band like COMPULSIVE MUTILATION, a two-man act that utilizes programmed drums in its music?

As it turns out, pretty well off. The band, comprised of members of Minnesota brutal Death Metal act FACE OF OBLIVION, have seriously impressive chops in their own right, so it makes the music on their debut LP, "Exigent Cuntlust," sound a lot more believable from a technical standpoint. The production gives an insidious crunch to the guitars, and punctuates the drums, but it also has a really saturated, heavy atmosphere that adds grit to the mix, helping keep the record from sounding like much of today's overly polished and otherwise manufactured Death Metal music. Tone-wise, think early SUFFOCATION, with riffs nearly as nimble and grotesque as they bulldoze through ridiculous offerings like "Acidic Labotomization," "Orgy of Decomposition," and the sadistically entertaining "Drenched In Gasoline," whose weird, nightmarish intro the track before is the perfect lead-up to the incendiary carnage that ensues. Chris Hensley's massive, yet busy riffs overwhelm with their sheer power, offset well by his sceptic, barely-more-than-a-gurgle death growls.

As you can tell by the track names, these guys are all about the gross stuff, so if horror's your thing, these guys are about as graphic as the blasphemous music that tears out from their amplifiers. If you're hoping for some melodic respite, I'm happy to inform you that you will find no such thing here. Even the occasional pinch harmonic and sweeps thrown in sound a melodic, chaotic, and distressed, in a way; along with their startling instrumental precision, it helps to round out the album's savage and overbearing tone.

"Exigent Cuntlust" is a wild, 39-minute beatdown that manages to stay satisfying well after the first listen, comparing favorably to works by better-known acts like ABOMINABLE PUTRIDITY and GORGASM. Vicious, violent, and well-written to boot, COMPULSIVE MUTILATION's debut is perfect for fans of brutal, slamming, technical Death Metal.