A the world grows grimmer with each day, death metal must also grow more brutal to keep up. I have reviewed a few albums that pushed this past the boundaries of songwriting, so I am glad to have found a band like Retching, which finds a middle path on their upcoming album "Charming the Decomposed". They have riffs that hook you in, and the low guttural vocals have a purpose rather than just being a gurgling layer of disgust. There is an 80s exploitation theme running through the samples that helps give this album its narrative. When they pour on the speed, it exposes them to the same vulnerabilities that most death metal bands can have in this regard. It feels rushed, and the vocals have a harder time finding where they fit in the grand scheme of things.
A powerful riff fires up "Shower Curtain Silhouette," which they generally keep to a respectable midpaced pound they might have learned from 200 Stab Wounds. The opening track is the only song that ventures over the five-minute mark, so they are not into drawing things out needlessly and pack the punch they want for handling things in this fashion. "Foaming' crunches along in a respectable enough fashion, but does not hook me in. I do like the atmosphere created at the end of the song to tie the album together. "Vulgar Celluloid Trophy" is much more memorable riff-wise; it has an almost Obituary feel.
The riff to "Septic Entombment" finds them more focused, though it gets interesting when they dive deeper into the darkness for "Fetid Abattoir," which keeps this horror current running through this album, considering the fact that this is the band's first album, shows a creative vision I admire. The last song also grinds into this more deliberate murk, which works better than a blur of speed, though they tease blast beats here and there, making for a more dynamic impact overall. I will give this album a 9; the mood they create is impressive and adds the needed horror movie darkness to things. Out August 22nd on Transcending Obscurity
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