I’ve probably said this a few times by now but honestly if you’re into Metal how can you not like Death Metal! To me it’s the embodiment of cool, all of the Metal tropes are there Satanic ideals, Gore, Sci-fi notions, Vikings, Fantasy the list goes on. There’s basically nothing untouched by this genre. Unless you can’t stand unclean vocals then I really cannot see how there isn’t a Death Metal band out there for you. So, what’re you waiting for, get down to your local record store and pick up a new album!

Speaking of something for everyone today we talk of Bedsore. The name might suggest a gore-soaked theme but it is far from that. This Italian Progressive Death Metal group caught the attention of 20 Buck Spin with their debut two track demo. Alas this has resulted in a record deal, and with that comes the band’s first full length Hypnagogic Hallucinations. 20 Buck Spin is often a good seal of approval and I can’t wait to get my teeth (or ears) into this brand of Death Metal which the band calls ‘Kaleidoscopic Metal’. I’m not one for self-invented genre tags but let’s see how this goes.

The Gate, Disclosure (Intro) certainly lets us know what Kaleidoscopic Metal is, epic, haunting keyboards open the album in Psychedelic fashion as a weaving of Metal riffs come into focus. Nothing screams Death Metal currently but none the less the melding of sounds and styles works really well, I can see this being a hit with fans across a plethora of alternative sub genres. Elements of Synth, Prog, Metal and so forth create an atmospheric and interesting landscape. After the instrumental assault of the opening song we get into what Bedsore are really all about in The Gate, Closure (Sarcoptes Obitus) which is instantly more Death Metal. Big catchy Death Metal riffs are formed with nods to Tech to create something dynamic and different. Vocally the song and album take on a surprisingly ‘trve’ approach, lots of dissonance and early Death Metal influence here, although that said it works really well. Deathgazer kind of just plays with similar themes and ultimately shows the bands purist Metal approach, yet still enthralling and unique, love the vocals on this track.

The middle of the album is crossed by At The Mountains Of Madness, the first more lengthy track at over eight minutes. It’s also a track pulled from the bands self-titled demo. Melodic, Progressive and atmospheric the track builds into an all-out Death Metal attack. Full to the brim with beautifully evil sounding riffs and general chaos. The second half of this album seems to be all about the longer song, with all the songs being around the six to eight-minute mark. I like this as it feels like there is a sort of progression within the album itself. Cauliflower Growth has some really crushing Morbus Chron type moments as well as some strong bass segments, another captivating listen. It should be noted that the Synth/ keyboard element is present throughout the album but never overbearing or intrusive. The album finally comes to a close with Brains On The Tarmac, the other track from the bands demo. It’s a solid conclusion that brings together all the various elements of the band’s sound into a tight package. Truly this is a band that know their sound but have room for growth.

As far as debuts go this is pretty good stuff. I can see some of the themes becoming a little tired after a good few listens but none the less it’s a great building block for the band. It’s certainly made a fan out of me and I really cannot wait to see what is to come. Most importantly the album is different, it stands out amid an ever-growing sea of Death Metal bands, really invigorating stuff that is sure to please a lot of fans of the genre and even bring new ones in. If this is Kaleidoscopic Metal then give me more!

(8/10 George Caley)

https://www.facebook.com/bedsoredeath

https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/hypnagogic-hallucinations