This is an album I have been looking forward to, so expectations were high. Halfway into the first song, I can hear where the needed tweaks I wanted from these guys in terms of production have been made, and it is rocking fucking hard. There is more attention to detail in songwriting as riffs have purpose and are not just shifting into the next heaviest chug possible. Songwriting is storytelling, telling, and the message is coming through with a more mature and perfected vision. Devin still does what he does, though his phrasing is refined and more articulate without sacrificing brutality.
On "Felony Abuse of a Corpse," they provide some unexpected grooves. The thing that is really winning me over so far is that it is not just crushingly heavy but a fun listen. "The Ritual of Autophagia" is a little more straightforward, driven by impressive drumming and a steady chug that finds them the successors to Cannibal Corpse's throne. This song features a guest vocal by Todd Jones from Nails , who summons a higher snarl he has not used since "Abandon All Life": The title track alternates between dense grooves and blast beats, which come in spurts as Devin unleashes the more gore-grind-like gurgles and pig squeal that their fan base grew up on. You can debate if those labels still apply to the band, but it has always fallen under the death metal anyway.
"Abhorrent Contraception" is the first single that came from this album, and it felt like they were taking things into a more classic death metal direction then. There are a few riffs that carry what might be described as having a breakdown feel. "Repulsive Demise' might be the album's most interesting moments as it works off a darker tension, rather than the kind of steamrolling riffs you associate with the genre. Despite its simplistic nature, the industrial drone it carries might be one of the most unique metal songs of the year. "Erotic Beheading" is a brutal blasting that looks back at where they came from and finds it tightened into where they are now.
"Sanctified Defilement" was the first song I had to stop and listen to a few times beofe it clicked with me. Even though there is more blasting than what is offered on most songs, it is still balanced out with more deliberate riffage. 'Semi Automatic Facial Reconstruction" works off a syncopated dissonance that is different for them. Travis Ryan from Cattle Decapitation brings some higher-pitched screams to the occasion. The almost eight-minute "Paid in Flesh' throbs with a tremendous groove, and finds Cody Davidson working overtime behind the kit. I normally do not give death metal drummers tons of praise, as it is in the job requirement that you have to be a monster to play death metal. Dylan Walker from Full of Hell lends his tormented anguish to the song. "To Build a Mountain" is more deliberate and sonically crushing. I will give this a 10; it exceeds expectations and shows they are one of the best new death metal bands worthy of carrying the genre forward.
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