Death fucking metal!
We love it right? We love proper death metal don’t we? Not bullshit slammy pig squealing comedy bollocks but true death metal, and if the it comes from Sweden then the chances are it’s gonna be the absolute nuts! I don’t wanna sound like a poncey elitist but you can shove the majority of what passes for death metal up your arse these days. Most of it is derivative, cookie cutter, over processed bollocks. If Grave, Dismember & Unleashed are delicious ribeye steaks then most of todays’ DM is botulism laced ‘mystery meat’ burgers bought from a fat sweaty bloke in a dirty vest trading from rusty old van in a lay by at 3am. You’ll consume it….. you might even like the first bite but it’ll fly out of your arse like a flock of bats in a few hours and you’ll never go back to “Cosmo’s Kebabs” again.
Now I mention Grave, Dismember and Unleashed as they, along with Entombed were always seen, and rightly so as the kings of Swedish death metal. Don’t throw In Flames at me….. you’re wrong, everything after “Clayman” is shit and you should get back to your fairtrade spunkamunkalatte, stroke your beard and make sure your jeans are suitably tight in whatever pop up ethnofriendly bullshit coffee shop you patronise.
And breathe….
Anyway I was always partial to a bit of Vomitory (luckily saw them at Eindhoven before they split up) Torture Division and Coldworker too. Check these bands out if you’re not familiar with them as they are fantastic. Cut Up is comprised of ex-members of these three bands so I was never gonna not like them.
“Wherever They May Rot” (brilliant title) is the bands second album and the follow up to 2015’s “Forensic Nightmares” and, like that record comprises of eleven mostly sub four minute cuts of prime old school death metal, cooked to perfection the only way these veterans know how. No frills, tasty as fuck!
A natural progression from “Forensic Nightmares” this album sees Cut Up honing the edge on their musical cleavers and adding a touch more melody and a box full of (butchers) hooks too. As a result this record is more catchy and memorable than their debut. That doesn’t mean the band have “softened up” though…. No sir. Opener “From Ear To Ear” slams Cut Ups goods on the table and commands your attention. The tight, thrashy riffage, superb barking vocals from Erik Rundqvist and Andreas Björnson and a savage chorus lets you know the lads mean business. From then on there is no let up and nowhere to hide from tracks like “Behead The Dead” with its brilliant leads or the title track with its mid-paced chugging intro leading into helter skelter death metal awesomeness the Swedes have got it nailed down.
This is a savage bloodbath from start to finish. Heavier, more brutal and catchier than their debut. This is a total belter and any fan of quality death metal should add it to their collection sharpish!
(9/10 Mark Eve)
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