Splatter Mania

Bestial Devastation's debut full-length is massive; already known as masters of the Italian grind scene via their awesome split with Obscene, this really put them on the map as far as international recognition goes, and well-deservedly: this release might be their very best, packing all their best elements into a concise and ripping twenty six minute package which leaves almost nothing to be desired.

The band's innate grasp of writing memorable and ripping grind riffs comes out in full force on this LP, with each track from beginning to end boasting a collection of sawing and chaotic tremolo riffs which persist in the mind long after the CD is back in its case. The rickety, too-fast drumming is intact as always and the merging of gory gurgles and screeching Cockney oi vocals are better than ever on tracks like 'The Sublime Art Of Devastation'. The production is raw but warm and immediate and conveys the insane and barbaric vibe that Bestial Devastation tried and succeeded at creating.

What makes Bestial Devastation's music so consistently great is their inherent grasp of musicality, even as extreme and abrasive as their music tends to be. The songs are insidiously catchy and the riffs and rhythms interact with each other in a natural and coherent fashion at all times, simple yet elegant in their construction. The vocals are fantastically rich in texture and rhythm and provide a great deal of the enjoyment found in the music; alternating lines in memorable and savage configurations while drums and bass rumble and pound perpetually under the stream of grating guitars. It's highly natural music that flows from people with a clear love of the style and dedication to intense and true performances thereof.

Bestial Devastation is perhaps one of the best grindgore bands there's ever been this side of Regurgitate or Haemorrhage; they perfected their unique take on the style early in their career and never really faltered. It's unfortunate that they've broken up now, but albums such as this are a testament to the strength of their writing throughout their career. Any dedicated grind fan owes it to themselves to seek out this and other Bestial Devastation releases, as it's nearly impossible to believe they'd disappoint; such raw talent is on display here that it can't be ignored.

Originally operating with the name Violence, Italy’s Bestial Devastation belched forth from the pits in 2002. Releasing the well-received demo SORES, BLOOD & PUSS demo in 2003, the band quickly turned heads with their vicious and surgical gore metal onslaught. Picked up by the up and coming Deadsun Records (also home of traditional metal warriors Out of the Lair – see review from July 2004), the band have now released their debut full length – SPLATTER MANIA.

Lovingly packaged in the gore metal staple of body part photos, SPLATTER MANIA is 26-minute dissection of the aural. Throughout the disc shredded vocal chords are smeared across a bloody montage of buzzsaw guitars and hammer-smashed drums. Gleefully ripping pieces from gore metal’s hallmarks (Carcass, Exhumed, Impaled etc.), the music is exactly what you’d expect from a gore metal band – semi-technical death metal blast beaten into mush, topped by a variety of vocals, all of which are indecipherable.

Lyrically, Bestial Devastation leaves no orifice un-violated in their quest to disgust. Songs like “Perverse Female Disfiguration” and “Postmortem Fellatio” are sure to excite gore fans while simultaneously abhorring parents everywhere. Par for the course, Bestial Devastation remember to inject humour into their work, as “No…I Want A Whole Pizza” and “Charlie Don’t Shit” attest.

Bestial Devastation are sure to be hit with the gore metal fans, as SPLATTER MANIA is exactly the type of album they expect. In my book that’s good and bad, as gore metal ain’t exactly my favorite genre of metal, thus the middling score. However, for fans of this shit-soaked stuff, Bestial Devastation are your major discovery of the year.

-------Originally posted at Metal-Rules.com-------