Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Release date: February 28th, 2025
Not too long ago I was speaking with some guy about what Metaphobic is a very good example for. I mean, hell knows why, because that’s surely not about creativity’s quality, but in fact there are some countries or even states in the USA ignored by, how strange it may sound, metal mainstream. Yeah, I know this is quite a young band, just like the ones I’m writing about these days, who were born in 2018. But I still can bet if they were coming from Florida, New York or even Bay Area (even if they don’t serve us music this region is, let’s say, famous from) and not capital and the most populous city of Georgia, that they didn’t have to wait for their debut full-length long eight years.
Well, such a situation, when you think about it calmly, has in total also some advantages. I know guys started their adventure with instruments and playing in several bands much earlier than you could deduce from Metaphobic’s age. But it doesn’t change anything and I think, and am almost sure about it, if they released ”Deranged…” one or even two years after their birth, we’d don’t have nothing to do with such interesting and mature music. There’s nothing innovative or original in this creativity. Actually, that’s something I’ve heard really many times in my life. And, so fucking what? In my world it doesn’t matter at all. I’ll tell you more, this is even contrary! I appreciate quality in things I already know more than striving for originality. And every time I listen to this album, my jaw drops, and I collect my teeth from the floor, I’m in pieces and my brain is bleeding! That’s what I expect from music – what in our metal world is quite a normal thing, I guess.
And these eight tracks taking forty-three minutes and thirty-one seconds are in my opinion death metal masterpieces. You’ll find here everything that such playing should have as components – broken, quite short and twisted riffs, various drumming, deep growling, some guitar, and not only, tricks, right dose of sick melodies, some touches. Tempo is in the middle or even slow one. At the same time Atlanta’s residents know very well how to speed up. Anyways, this is one more proof supporting the thesis that brutality in music doesn’t mean the same thing as playing as fast as possible, music rushing to break your neck. To make it short, it’s the creativity every fan of death metal should get to know! By the way, personally I don’t like to compare ensembles to each other (music isn’t a hundred-meter run or stuff like that), but I know some, maybe even the best part, if you are waiting for it, think such information should be enclosed in review. That’s why I mention, of course indirectly – just like I always used to do, some name(s). My biggest association is here a cult band who was created in Fair Lawn by John McEntee and Paul Ledney who previously had played together in Revenant. I somehow know that another name says something to the best part of you and this is the reason why I decided to use it. I can also hear some influences of the band formed in 2011 in Denver, Colorado. By the way, I plan to review their newest child soon, so be careful! Oh, some riffs somehow remind me of “Gothic” or “Lost Paradise”. I mean their common character and heaviness.
Anyway, “Deranged Excruciations” is a quite fresh item. Its premiere took place February 28th. Responsible for spreading this disease is Italian Everlasting Spew Records. Of course, what becomes tradition, you can make choices between every possible format. Well, if you want to buy vinyl, then you need to wait a little, because it’s planned to be out in summer. Do I have to write anything else? I don’t think so! Every metalhead who’s in love with death metal knows very well what to do, doesn’t it? Amen!
