Man, this is brutal. I mean it's so brutal; its level on the brutality scale is massive. But wait, that's all very well and good, but is the record actually decent? Sadly it doesn't match up. So many bands have done this over and over again, and the end result is predictably average.

Essentially it's a collection of highly aggressive, highly brutal (did I mention that), tracks that can be added to the already overflowing pile of mediocre Death Metal. So let's at least start with the positives. The cover of KISS' "Black Diamond" is a good enough rewrite, with some guitar work that I really enjoyed, and "Praise The Gore" is also a pretty sold tune, but for me, the other three tracks feel a bit stale, even on first listen. The only things on this album that are consistently good were the drum work of Avery Desmarais, which stays powerful and prominent throughout the record. To a certain extent the same can be said for the low growls and occasional higher screams of Sean Watson, and actually when I think about it the guitar and bass work isn't half bad either. The more eagle-eyed of you readers will, by now, have noticed that I have given the thumbs up to all the different elements of the band. So why am I not waxing lyrical about the songs themselves?

I honestly couldn't tell you the answer; basically the mix is very good, retaining a rawness that is, of course, obligatory in any Death Metal band worth their salt. Sadly it's just been done; maybe if this record appeared in a world (God forbid) that had never heard anything like it before, this record would be considered a major musical milestone. Unfortunately for DISPLAY OF DECAY, it has come into a world where the blueprint has already be laid, and the road has been very well trod.

All in all DISPLAY OF DECAY have potential, with one full length release already to their name in the form of 2012's self-titled effort, it can surely only be a matter of time before the next. Sadly however they are playing in a sub-genre in which, in this reviewer's humble opinion anyway, it takes a small miracle to stand out.<