When the Second Wave of Black Metal was unleashed due the polemical issues in Norway (as the arsons of the churches and the murdering of Euronymous as well), Death Metal acts experienced a little ‘decay’ of attention. In other words, those who already had a strong name with the fans kept things on such way, but the rising ones experienced troubles to keep things rolling. Today, both genres are living side by side without problems, and many good new names on Death Metal are arising day by day, as the North American quintet MUTILATION BARBECUE that arrives with “Amalgamations of Gore”, its first full-length.

The sonority of the album looks for something that resembles the days of the Second Wave of Death Metal, days when Scott Burns, Tomas Skogsberg and Colin Richardson were working to canonize the models for Death Metal recordings and sonorities. It bears that need for a crude aggressiveness and sharp instrumental tunes, but here with a very good level of clarity (that allows the hearers to understand the band’s songs). It’s a good job of Will Killingsworth (mixing and mastering), with a sickening art on the cover done by Colter Mason. The band’s music is inspired by Old School North American Death Metal acts from the days when IMMOLATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MONSTROSITY and others were just releasing their primordial full-lengths. It’s rough and aggressive, sometimes with fast parts and others using mid tempos, but always depicting a monstrous potential for the future (and pay attention to the groove on some songs as “Amalgamations of Gore/Skin Display”). For now, they can sound primitive, but good, indeed.

The band shows a very good work on this first album, with balanced songs and very good moments. But to the due presentations, “Amalgamations of Gore/Skin Display” (fine guitar riffs and arrangements and some groove moments), “Hive Mind Homicide” (the abrasive instrumental lines are used to the very good grunts from the vocals), “Auto Anthropophagy” (very good rhythmic work from bass guitar and drums to conduce the rhythmic contrasts), “Carcass Compost” (another song with some groove, as heard on the intro of the bass guitar, and what aggressive outfit), “Trampled Under 18 Wheels” (some old influences of Hardcore can be heard here) and “Spontaneous Human Combustion” are the better ones for such work.

For some fans, “Amalgamations Of Gore” can sound as a ‘more-of-the-same’ release, but if the quintet deal their cards wisely, it’ll become a fan item. Let’s hope that MUTILATION BARBECUE will evolve and surprise Death Metal fans. In time: the band recorded the album as a quartet.