Norwegian Chainsaw Massacre: The Final Cut

Gorelord’s second full length, “Zombie Suicide Part 666”, passed me by as the bands third full sees the groove driven style being brought to the fore. You know that soothing intro is there to lull you into a false sense of security before the carnage begins. Imagine Frediablo’s musical cooking pot of the slower sections of Mortician, Slipknot style riffs, thunderous Grave like bass and battering drum work all written, recorded and played by the man himself. The number and length of samples has decreased dramatically as the album pummels you with riff after riff. The influence of earlier style Slipknot can be detected by the groove in the riffs, and that bands name should not scare you away. “All Hail The Gods Of Horror”, a tribute to the masters of gore horror, Fulci, Romero etc, contains one of the best grinding (that means pulverising not fast) death metal riffs I’ve heard for ages, with a guitar sound not too dissimilar to that of Grave. “Flesh to Feed” whizzes by and just as it gets going its finished leaving you wanting more. More is what you get, as “Man Of Shit” blasts forth sounding like various aspects of Mushroomhead’s “XX” and “XIII” albums. Frediablo is not afraid to experiment with different sounds and guitar effects and he uses them to great effect as “Man of Shit” which ends very politely and calmly. The more typical death metal style continues to pummel you on “Deathbreed” and “Hammered”, before one of the longest songs with the shortest lyrics gives you something new to digest.

A dirgy guitar with a background rumbling bass builds up into a monstrous sludgefest that at times reminds me of the dirty sound of Autopsy on “The Rising Of The Undead”. You can feel the claustrophobia as the viscous guitar and bass absorb the lead and barraging drums. The one thing I really like about this album is the wonderful intense drum sound. I don’t mean fast, just an impenetrable and solid rhythm that is prevalent throughout. The riffs just keep coming and coming as “Sprayed With Gasoline’s” powerchords and memorable closing section knock you senseless. The most complex song ends the pure metal aspect of the album as the bass batters like a jackhammer and introduces some industrial sounding leanings, with only the guest vocals letting the song down, with its metalcore screams and wails. Frediablo’s vocals have, thankfully, drifted away from the pure Maniac style screams, prevalent on the debut, as he gives a much more flexible performance.

Lyrically this is your typical gore-drenched affair but the content has been toned down somewhat, as it’s really the music that does all the talking. Surprisingly the album closes with an atmospheric instrumental track, “The Final Cut”, clocking in at nearly 13 minutes. I have to admit to being taken aback by the inclusion of such a dreamy track. It reminds me of the keyboard instrumentals that Burzum has done, with a repeating fluidity that washes over you. Atmospherics aside I found myself enjoying this track after the mauling I had got previously. An excellent death metal mauling overall.

This is a short (42 mins approx.), yet violent and heavy piece of gory metal, soaked with regular grooves and breakdowns. When I say breakdowns, DO NOT get the wrong idea; this isn't scene music, it is horror-influenced death metal all performed by one (drunk) man - Frediablo - the man of a thousand bands. Yep, he does it all: bass, guitar, drums, vocals, the whole package. He even produced it, I believe. Onto the music...

The songs on here rarely exceed the 3-minute mark. They are short, snappy and in your face, and they kick your arse with their intense heaviness. In fact, it seems to rely on heaviness; there isn't that much speed going on. Not to worry though, it's all good stuff. There is a slow acoustic intro, and then the sound of a chainsaw, and then the first real song kicks in. Literally.

He then throws about 7 more of these blood-drenched songs at you, and then there is a strange but amusing song called 'The Glorification of Violence', with guest vocals from Dom Lawson - who, if I am not mistaken, is the guy out of Metal Hammer. The lyrics are laughable, I won't spoil them but they are pretty disgusting in parts, and the production is, for some reason different from the other songs on the album. It then all ends with 'The Final Cut', a 12/13 minute long instrumental. Totally pointless, in my opinion, and it lets the album down. I just don't see a point at all. Without it, the album wouldn't even be 30 minutes, but I would prefer that to half an hour of brutal metal followed by nearly quarter of an hour of nothing. It may be something to do with the fact that this was supposedly Gorelord's last album, but he seems to be writing some new stuff, so I'm glad to hear about that. Anyway...

It's the only Gorelord album I have, so I can't compare it to other albums he's done. However, if the old stuff's better, I need to hear it now because this is a fucking cool album. Without the final track, it would have got a much higher score, though, which to me is it's only flaw.

I've owned Zombie Suicide Part 666 for a number of years, and have always come back to it. Sure, it never offered anything in terms of sheer originality or what have you, but it was the sheer metal, horrific joy of it. It was pretty much the death metal equivalent of a Hammer Horror flick.

So it is with Norwegian Chainsaw Massacre, but with a few twists. Frediablo's love of horror movies still shines through (evidenced alone by the album's title), and many of the tracks here are preceded by a few seconds of sampling, which set the tone - or raise a laugh. This influence is strongly felt in the lyrics, but they are mundane enough that I won't bother to go over them here.

Musically, however, things have changed a little for Gorelord. What struck me first was the difference in Frediablo's vocals. Where on Zombie Suicide Part 666 he had relied on a black metal rasp, now he's implementing a death metal growl, quite Glen Benton-esque.

With this vocal shift is also a change in direction in terms of instrumentation. This album is a lot more "br00tal", with a heavy reliance on stop-start riffage, and what I guess can only be called beatdown. I guess metal purists might turn their noses up at such devices, but they work incredibly well in terms of the music. The drums - and I have absolutely no idea if they are real or the work of a machine - are tight as hell, and complement the guitars perfectly (whether in full death metal blast mode, or more modern stop start mode). The bass is non existant, and I guess wasn't that high on Frediablo's priorities.

He does a good job with the production too, giving the guitars one of the best and most heavy sounds I've heard in a long time. Think of that old Entombed style, but a little crisper. The only complaint I would have here is that the drums are a little tinny, especially the snare drum. This is most noticeable during the heavier sections, when it is entirely drowned out by the guitars and bass.

So, a good album then? Definitely! But, in ten years time, will I remember it, or want to go back to it? Well, probably yes! But I've always nurtured an inexplicable affection for Gorelord, and I've absolutely no idea whether this affection is shared by anyone else. However, objectively I can see that Gorelord offer up very little of originality with this record, or indeed their last, despite the undeniable and obvious talent of their sole musician. So, in conclusion, I would advise that you treat this band, and their records, much as you'd treat the movies to which they pay homage - it's a bit of fun, but it sure as hell ain't gonna change your life.