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Cenotaph > Puked Genital Purulency > Reviews
Cenotaph - Puked Genital Purulency

Turkish filth - 89%

GuardAwakening, September 25th, 2022
Written based on this version: 1999, CD, Drain Productions

Typically there is only so putrid a death metal can get before it has to dip into goregrind/grindcore territory, however Puked Genital Purulency is one of those rare albums where every sensible clue about it denotes that it must be a goregrind record, but it isn't. It has the long sound samples of bands like Mexican Disgorge, the song titles are reminiscent of early Carcass, and even the initial vibe gives you a Dead Infection impression, so this must be goregrind right? Well while I'm not denying the band were most likely inspired by these bands during its making, the album nevertheless is practically pure brutal death metal. Sure there may be the occasional grind riff or two sprinkled atop of the action at select moments, but at heart, the album still sounds like Cenotaph. Ultimately the record manages to be what the band has ultimately stayed true to since day 1 while achieving the goal of being the most unclean / vile aesthetically that they've been throughout the band's lifespan.

Cenotaph have a reputation of changing their style every couple of years, whether you see this as a positive or negative thing is up to your stance but I personally put the blame on the group's frequent lineup changes. Nowadays Cenotaph are pigeonholed into the Defeated Sanity-type of fandom, but initially they (surprisingly) were more of a OSDM type of group (Life Immortal) before embracing Suffocation-style riffs (Voluptuously Minced), then they led to a more Deeds of Flesh/Mortal Decay worship style (Pseudo Verminal Cadaverium & Reincarnation in Gorextasy). but caught up in all this lineup instability and style fluctuations they put out which is arguably their biggest hit; 1999's Puked Genital Purulency.

Just hearing this album for a few minutes (long intro sample excluded) makes you feel like you already need a bath. The raw production, filthy atmosphere and just overall sinister/evil conditions all seem to hit you at once already within the album's first track. First song "Mutilated Genitalia in Lack of Resurrection Under Effective Punch" has one of the most memorable and catchy riffs out of the entire 36 minutes, and man is it fun. Cenotaph's recurring taste for bass guitar is also present in here, frequent bass breaks and audible basslines are very welcomed. The bass is probably my favorite feature here, but the fact is every instrument of all 4 members seems to provide a performance worth of applause. Drums have some of the coolest bass drum/snare you'd expect and the vocals of Batu Çetin are so devoid of humanistic personality yet he still sounds so appropriate to the very humanistic bestiality this record displays. The main style of vocals is a hoarse growl coupled with the occasional scream, which together reminds me of Chris Barnes-era Cannibal Corpse more than much else. I'm not really sure if Çetin does both the gutturals and the screams as there seems to be a note in the booklet which credits the backup screams to Gürkan Akalın, but whoever's doing it, it sounds awesome.

Turkey (like almost any Islamic country) is probably one of the last places you'd expect to hear quality death metal from, but I think saying this album is kind of ahead of its time wouldn't be too far off. The fact this album holds up today with one of the coolest drum performances I've personally heard in a while should be enough, but it should be noted this album also has stuff to the liking of proto-deathcore palm muted chugs (listen 0:42 in "Multipurpose Utilization from Lustly Shredded Scummy Vaginal Discharge" complete with a bass drop synchronizing on the first note). However on the flipside some of the very drawn-out intro/outro samples might turn some inpatient listeners away, on top of that it would admittedly have been a lot more cool to hear some more breakdown-esque moments as even the slams here are few and far in between, but when they happen it's so cool to experience it with all the riffing around it. Unfortunately the guitarist always seems so eager and adamant to pick back up the very-active riffing even when the rest of the band chills for a moment, but I wouldn't go as far to call his style as riff salad.

Lead growler Batu Çetin is a smart dude, he knows what he's doing with the band and has been able to roll with the tides of what is currently successful in death metal. Finding what was hot in a very underground style of music wasn't always easy, initially he and the other guys were able to do this during the pre-internet days with the tape trading scene (which I imagine is especially hard to do if you lived in Turkey of all places) but when social media came along and made checking out bands easier, albums such as this that were put out several years before YouTube or Bandcamp existed are now seen as classics. Puked Genital Purulency is definitely one of those records all extreme metal fans need to hear, just be warned, you'll probably feel unclean after listening.

Cenotaph - Puked Genital Purulency - 95%

Daemonium_CC, December 22nd, 2017
Written based on this version: 1999, CD, Hammer Müzik

It’s a wonder how I haven’t reviewed this album yet as it’s not only legendary, but also something that I practically grew up with.

You see, Cenotaph are from Turkey. They’re from Ankara, and I’m from Istanbul, but the studio that this was recorded at is in Istanbul, and my band used to rehearse there as well. When this first came out, it was monumental, because the amount of brutal death metal bands in Turkey at that time were about zero.

And at first, even I was skeptical. How good could they be? These were the years when I was basically living off Cryptopsy ane having Nile for breakfast. I was deep into the technical side of things back then (kind of still am) and I didn’t think these home grown boys could manage to hold their own with the best of them.

I was wrong. Very wrong.

The album starts off with quite a bang. The first song, the title of which I am too lazy to write here, grooves, grinds and just pulverizes you. One of the first things to note is the sound - I am still actually kind of amazed that they were able to record this this well. Everything sounds excellent, and even with so much going on guitar and drum wise, everything is loud and clear. And the vocals. The vocals are fucking crazy. Batu is a legend in his own right - he’s the only original member of the band left at this point - but through thick and thin, he has always dug down deep and kept Cenoptah going. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can never take that away from them.

If I’m being completely honest, the last three tracks on here are my favorites. Especially when “Verbalized Opinions..” kicks in. Just batshit craziness from start to finish, this is one of the best tracks on here, hands down. The “hit” from the album, I’d say. Crazy guitar work, even crazier vocals, and outstanding drumming. Speaking of the drumming, I am so so happy to report that the drumming here is very creative, and not just your typical “lets just blast through this entire section who gives a fuck” nonsense. The drum patterns are carefully thought out, compliment the vocals and guitars very well. Honestly, it’s a pleasure to listen to. While not on the level of say, Flo Mounier or anything like that, it doesn’t have to be. The creativeness of the drum parts is really special on this record.

The songs have more of an experimental feel to them, I mean there are a lot of things you’ll encounter that you just weren’t expecting. Songs twist and turn like eels. The guitar changes are real, they don’t fuck around at all. This album manages to keep you on your toes at all times.

“Sickened by His Own Pathologic Fancy of Collecting Ingots of Humanial Meat” has got to have one of the best middle sections of any death metal song, period. At 1:30 shit really hits the fan, the riffing, drumming, and absolutely insane vocals will leave you gasping for air. And the band actually do take it down a notch after a while, only to come back even fiercer and more brutal, finishing the song in one of the most punishing way imaginable. Just absolutely incredible and awesome song writing, the likes of which I am starting to miss in todays metal.

To conclude, I would say definitely check this out. This is basically the Turkish version of None So Vile - it’s that good.

I also have to give a major shout out to Hammer Muzik who funded and released this back in the day on their own label. Hammer Muzik was, and still is, the metal record store in Istanbul. Whenever you walk in, still to this day, there is all sorts of filth blasting out of the stores speakers. Absolutely legendary place which has been very monumental to the metal scene over here, so it's only natural that these were the guys that released this. And thank fuck they did.

Sweet Dreams - 90%

Immune_to_Poison, November 14th, 2010

You know, there's a difference between heavy... and really fucking heavy. Heavy chops your legs off at the knees and leaves you a helpless cripple, but really fucking heavy doesn't stop there. No, really fucking heavy brings you to your knees via dislimbment, knocks all of your teeth out with a tire iron to keep you from biting, then proceeds to force its cock into your mouth and throatfuck you to asphyxiation. Cenotaph's Puked Genital Purulency falls into the latter category, being the auditory equivalent of oral rape manifested unto a toothless victim. It offers no quarter, no mercy, no pity. Welcome to the world of brutal death metal. We have such sights to show you...

"Mutilated Genitalia in Lack of Resurrection Under Effective Punch" is the first track, serving to basically unzip the album's pants and show us what kind of unholy monster we're going to be defiled by for the next 36 minutes. There's a tasteful (read: tasteless everywhere except in the realm of death metal) intro of people simultaneously laughing, screaming, and retching over atmospheric synths. Then we're beset by a bombardment of blissful brutality, careening and cavorting shamelessly, likely unaware of its own irresistible ugliness. Riffs abound, Cenotaph does not recycle their music, as every passage is constantly changing, mutating into forms as incestuously deformed as what precedes it. It is beautiful to hear, and nothing ever feels stale on this album. I can't praise the songwriting enough, because the music presented here is simply impervious to invocating boredom amongst its patrons.

The musicianship is astounding. Every performer impresses on technical levels, including the bass player, who spreads bass solos around as liberally as a whore spreads venereal blisters. The guitar player is sickeningly talented, showing no signs of trouble handling his ambitious, complexity laden riffs. Said riffs are mostly speedy and bouncy, but occasionally mix it up with chugs and gratuitous pinch harmonics for variety. The drummer plays pissed off, but with composure. I'm sure we're all aware of the difference between being pissed off, and being pissed off with composure. The drumming is unrelenting and furious while remaining intelligent. It's never dull to listen to, and the drummer never tries to get too cute with what he plays. It's perfect.

Vocally, this album is a hate crime in even the most liberal of countries. The growls, gurgles and visceral vomiting herein is so vile and maledictive towards everything good and decent that the singer should almost be ashamed of himself. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him for effectively degrading humanity with his filth ridden retches. These are some seriously bloodthirsty growls, ubiquitously unintelligible, and no doubt unanimously unpleasant to the ears of punctilious pussies the world over. They're actually pretty unique, as I'm having trouble conjuring an adequate comparison. Well, they're good, so let's just leave it at that.

Puked Genital Purulency isn't a classic or anything, but it's essential for any self respecting brutal death metal maniac. This is the stuff that really good nightmares are made of. You know what I'm talking about, when half of you is relieved to awaken and find that you were only dreaming, while the other half is disappointed that you never got to get to the end to see if you made it through alive or not. If your "aww, I never got to finish my nightmare!" side is greater than your "thank God I was only dreaming" side, this album is for you. I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse... buy it.