The advantage of keeping alive old Metal genres formulas is that in some moment a band will take it to the next level. It can take time, but it's an inexorable thing to happen. In the ways that Brutal Death Metal was set in the 90s, a formula arose and many just followed what SUFFOCATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL and others unleashed. But it seems that the North American quartet CORDYCEPS with "Hell Inside" is trying to expand limits and take the whole genre.

One of the first differences from their work to many lies in the sonority. They chose something cleaner and defined, and it boosted the brutality and aggressiveness of their music, because sounding with such tunes makes things even more brutal and the 'nasty' sonorities. And what great artwork for the cover, indeed.

As said above, the quartet works on a trench of Brutal Death Metal, but unlike the purists, they blend it with Death Metal - in the actual models of the genre -, and evade to use the clichés of the genre in a boring way (the slow tempos and breakdowns are there, but in a different outfit than the usual). The band uses a very good technical appeal (especially on the drums) and fine rhythmic shifts, evading to be tortuous, but not simplistic as well. It's brutal (of course), full of energy and sounds 'out-of-the-box' in terms of Brutal Death Metal.

On the songs, no extreme Metal fan will complain about what's offered on "Filth", "Suffocating", "I Am Hate", "Diseased Mind", "Murder All", "Flock of Sheep", "I Am the Plague", "Obliterate" and "Regret", because their mix of guttural death growls, sharp and insane guitar riffs (with very good arrangements), and technically insane bass guitar and drums storms (with many fast double bass parts). And the personal appeal of each song is truly amazing, it's impossible to hear and not become an addicted on their music.

It's clear that "Hell Inside" is a step ahead of many Brutal Death Metal bands, what means that CORDYCEPS is courageous enough to try different things. And hope more is to come in a near future!