DEAD AND DRIPPING is a one man brutal death metal band from New Jersey who formed in 2016. 'Blackened Cerebral Rifts' is their third full length album. The project has also released two demos. I discovered Evan Daniele's death metal madness in 2020 with the debut 'Profane Verses of Murderous Rhetoric.' I enjoyed it quite a bit but I'm sorry to say I wasn't even aware there was a second album until I received the promo for this one. So my comparisons will be to the debut, as I didn't have time to check out the previous release. I have to say Evan's has really upped his game in every category with 'Blackened Cerebral Rifts.' This album is absolutely full armed and filthy- truly brutal, violent, raw and disgusting.

But there is a depth to the mind numbing madness. Sure, it is 100% unrelenting but there is a degree of technical clarity to their approach.  The song structures, from the vocal patterns down to the oddly paced riffs add a layer of both psychosis and unseen terror. I wasn't sure what was around the next blood drenched bend, but I knew it would eviscerate my ears. The production and mix is phenomenal. It is raw and powerful but with just enough polish to allow all the craziness to stand out. The bass, in particular, pops and slaps really well, especially for the style. His vocals are nasty too. Blood curdling gurgles, low growls, and some kind of sound that mixes frog ribbits with vomit. All good things of course. For this style, I wouldn't want it any other way.

The album opens with 'Tragic Ascent Of Absurdity's Pale Moon,' and immediately sets upon me with laser precise, rapid fire drumming and a miasma of riffs and growls. At the 1:07 mark, the tempo slows down to a rocking, slow groove. The double bass rises it all up with its fury while the rhythm section adds in chaotic atmosphere. In the later half, the song slows again but this time with a wild guitar solo that caps it all off nicely. The odd riffage of 'Aural Interference With Uncanny Subconscious Frequencies' is both infectious and dizzying. These words are an apt descriptor for both the song and the album as a whole. At the 3:51 mark, a passage I can only describe as 'being crushed over and over by a whale with large feet and heavy boots' hits and time ceases to exist. If you listen to this with headphones, you'll probably die. Before 'Kaleidoscopic Visions Of Porous Obsidian Eternities' I never thought about what having kaleidoscopic visions would be like but after listening to this song, I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be anything less than a harrowing experience.

This song is like a trip down a rabbit hole-it just gets more and more crazy the further you travel in. The drums and bass sound like they are building energy to explode. The final song is 'Hysterical Mirages of Otherworldly Calamity' and the twisting dynamics between the instruments left my neck knotted up. The drums drop their own riffs, little bombs that explode and send it all hurtling forward. The guitars are tight as hell and razor sharp too, never letting up but instead just building up constantly. All in all, DEAD AND DRIPPING's 'Blackened Cerebral Rifts' is a murderous trip through an insane and twisted death metal realm.  One hell of a ride and nearly impossible in its extremeness.