OSSUARY INSANE is a now-defunct Death Metal band formed in Minnesota, USA, in 1995. Following a few demos, the band did finally put together a full-length album in 1998 titled "Demonize the Flesh." A compilation of their material was also recently released in 2016. We all know the storied history of Death Metal, both here in the States and overseas. By the time this album was released in the late 90's, there was a flourishing scene that had reached its popularity peak a few years earlier, and was morphing into new sub genres, most notably the Melodic Death Metal genre. As an extreme product of music, it never went away, and continues to be strong today. Most fans connect with the dark lyrics and intense brutality, as a way to channel anger and other strong emotions like that.

When you consider this eight track album "Demonize the Flesh," you have a straightforward product steep in the history of the genre. The production is muted; raw and filthy as it should be to convey the medium best. Riff changes abound, and there are passages of pure chaos marked with other passages that are more linear in nature. The rhythm section is held together by timekeeper Tony Olson and the rate at which the instruments work in unison suggests a band that has spent a lot of time together, honing their sound. Their focus is on a hammering and brutal delivery of pure hatred.

Their best moments can be heard on "Fallen to the Pits," with its aggressive and angry sound, incensed Death vocals, which are both deep and low, and high pitched at other times, and a variety at which they present the meter in different passages, the tortuous sounds in "Imprecari," which means "invoke," with speed passages of pure chaos and liberal use of cymbal crashes, the overwhelming evil sound of "Excruciate with Flames," which means to torment and suffer, at the hands of a foul beast of the netherworld, and the anti-religious themes of "The Olde Ragged Cross," which was originally a Christin gospel song typically sun around the Easter holiday. The soul of this track is absolutely Black in every way.

Overall, it's a solid Death Metal album in the vein of the American version of this genre at the time. But like many things, the scene in Europe and the Nordic countries in particular had already advanced the genre to places where American bands didn't yet catch up. In this sense, it just lacks some diversity and dynamism, which although is not standard in the genre, definitely helps some bands rise above others. Still, if you are a purist of Old School Death Metal, you will surely find a place for this album in your collection.