Regardless of the medium, context is important in art. Not just in giving background to the stories the medium may weave, but also in how exactly that art is consumed. For example, films are meant, and created, to be shown in a cinema on a large screen. Therefore watching the same film at home, or on your phone, is just not the intended way for a consumer to process the art. This is a problem the sub-genre of Slam Metal faces. It is first and foremost music to listen to live. You aren't supposed to sit down all pensive, listening to minute details, and exploring a rich sonic landscape and its intricate subtitles. No, you're supposed to listen to Slam, whilst attempting to kick someones teeth in in a mosh pit. You're not here for meditation, but for cathartic and controlled rage. This unfortunately means that any album review of a Slam band, is arguably pointless to a certain degree, as it is not being consumed the proper way. Upon the calmer, and more surgical, analysis of listening to an album, the record is bound to suffer. This indeed is the case with "Existential Disconnect" by New Zealand's ORGANECTOMY, as cracks do begin to show. However, ORGANECTOMY have created an incredibly fun record here, with just enough variety to keep a listener engaged at home, whilst creating a collection of songs that will burn any live venue down to the ground.

My one problem with Slam as a genre tends to be that it can be rather repetitive. After all, when you're tuning guitars this low, all you've really got to go on is rhythm, and Slam does love picking one rhythm and just sticking with it for an entire set. However, ORGANECTOMY should be applauded for the mileage they get out of their style of Slamming Death Metal. Songs like opening track "Severed From Humanity," bursts open frantically, shaking and rocking the listener violently. One riff is played just long enough for it to be effective, only to switch to the next riff before the listener has any chance to lost interest. The album feels like a great action movie, in that the breakneck pace is kept up relentlessly. Even whilst sitting listening to this record, I could feel myself moving along with this rapid pace, and it's quite frankly exhilarating. Sure there are the Slam cliches (breakdowns and then bringing back the riff but slower), but the overall pace of the record is quick enough. This means that these cliches only feel like brief pauses, rather than lapses in creativity.

One criticism that can be labeled at this album however, is that it does it's job too well. As the album is exhilarating, it is actually quite a tiring listen. There are brief moments of pause, with track "Where Pantheons Lie I: Malfeasance" as well as short moments of respite in "No Solace In Ascendance," but I'd argue that this isn't quite enough. With music as constantly full on as this, music becomes white noise. Listening to these tracks individually, they are incredibly heavy, but in context of a full album, this heavy becomes the norm, meaning that its impact is neutered. By track 7 I needed to take off my headphones and just go outside, because everything ended up sounding the same. I've listened to far heavier music, but not had the same exhaustion, because of better pacing across an album. However, as I mentioned in my introduction, I'm not sure an album is the correct format for this type of music. Also, I'm not sure a slam die-hard cares. If you love this genre, then this lack of finesse and dynamic range across albums is probably something you've just become tolerant too.

If you love Slam metal, you can find no better Slam than this record. It has brutal riffing, unrelenting drumming and vocals straight out of an Eli Roth film. If you're like me, and love a bit of Slam, but only in short doses, maybe this record isn't for you. When this band tours near you next though, make sure you go and see them, because this wonderfully fun record will obviously be a blast live in the depths of a mosh pit. I'll definitely be adding tracks from this album to my Slam playlist for that odd day I'm just in a "Slam" mood though. They truly stand strong, shoulder to shoulder with some of my favorites of the genre, such as VULVADYNIA, ACRANIA, and GUTTERAL SLUG.