Wish You Died Here / Laceration of the Unborn

This split CD released on Redrum certainly doesn't seem incredibly enticing at first glance. Unknown Italian grindgore meets even more unknown Swedish death metal, and the art doesn't really prepare you for anything rising very far above mediocre. A couple listens can certainly invert those first impressions, though; Bestial Devastation is one of that nation's underground gems, blazing through track after track of intense, almost horrifically entertaining grind, while completely unknown band Obscene crafts a unique and bizarre variety of death metal that deserves more attention. This is a very solid split from two decidedly different artists, and is worth a look from any fan of extreme, underground metal.

Bestial Devastation opens the disc with eight tracks of grindgore influenced by bands such as Haemorrhage, early Last Days Of Humanity, and Regurgitate, with just a bit of punk infusion in the form of frequently employed Cockney oi! style vocals which actually work magnificently in the context of the music. Bestial Devastation is perhaps the best Italian grind band this side of the Cripple Bastards, and they in no way disappoint here. This is some of their earliest and most primitive material, but the core of catchy, incisive songwriting is present at its fullest. Sawing tremolo riffs grind over a procession of very quick blast and punk beats while alternately gurgling and shouting vocals set the cadence. The vocal patterns in particular are immensely infectious, and you'll frequently find yourself shouting along with the song titles which invariably appear as part of the lyrics. Drums seem to be provided with an electronic kit, but this isn't particularly distracting, and the sloppy feel of the music overall just adds to its spectacularly deranged charm.

All the tracks are excellent, and certain ones such as 'Io Necrofilo' and 'Fuck. Remove. Collect. (Vaginal Apparatus)' are even more insidiously catchy, though I'd recommend exercising discretion before screaming 'FUCK REMOVE COLLECT' in a crowded hallway. Each track is spectacularly memorable, and Bestial Devastation have an innate knack for crafting great stuff out of very simple riffs and rhythms. Certainly a great chapter in their history, though they would go to even greater heights with releases like 'Splatter Mania'. Any fan of straightforward grindgore is highly recommended to check this and other Bestial Devastation releases out, as it would be almost impossible for them to disappoint.

Obscene is of a very different breed indeed. They are a Swedish death metal band that in no way resemble any variety of Swedish death metal, instead resembling the sort of bizarre stuff that was coming out of the US in the mid-'90s while the scene was busy trying not to collapse in on itself from oversaturation. Notes from bands such as Gorguts or Suffocation are present, but minus the overt technicality of either of those bands; in fact, the content probably never gets more difficult to play than on an average Six Feet Under album. Stranger still is that Obscene has an almost phobia-like aversion to tremolo picking; even during more uptempo blasting or double bass sections, the band typically sticks with various configurations of rhythmic chugging, though never really having a 'breakdown' or groove proper. It gives the music an exceedingly off-kilter and improper feeling, but the catchiness of the riffs and vocal lines make up for what would at first listen seem to be completely nonfunctional. The more cyclic, thrashy nature of the songs also helps anchor the listener when the music is generally so strange.

The music is sort of at war with itself, with the bizarre, inaccessible elements constantly grinding against the catchier, more oldschool ones, and it makes for a consistently interesting if definitely uneven listening experience. Sometimes it's hard to tell if the band is extremely original or just unaware of how death metal is 'supposed' to sound, as there's never a point on this side of the disc where it doesn't feel just a half step away from what it 'should' sound like. It's surprisingly listenable given how strange it is, and I have to say that it's overall extremely worthwhile and curious music that makes me want to track down other material from the band.

While one side of this split is certainly stranger than the other, both are great slabs of music which demand much more attention than they've been getting from the metal public. Bestial Devastation is fantastic at their traditional style and Obscene is strange and ahead of its time, so there's something for everyone here; just get past the initial appearances, give it a listen, and enjoy.