Guttural Secrete – Reek of Pubescent Despoilment
I got to hand it to the label Unmatched Brutality, for they truly believe in the music they are upholding and spare no expense when it comes to the dismembered artwork and overall appearance of their releases. Even though I really can’t get behind this form of music anymore, their dedication is to be commended. I think all long time readers of the print era of Worm Gear and the webzine know where I stand on brutal death metal… I feel its time has largely come to pass ever since it’s bloated corpse cracked open during the mid 90’s, releasing millions of satiated maggots that all went on to emulate the forefathers of the genre. I guess that’s why it surprises me that I’m still listening to this Guttural Secrete CD as I type this. It has everything we’ve all heard before: technical/out of key guitar riffs that give way to heavy break downs that’ll get the circle pits circling like carrion over a ruptured roadkill, guttural vocals and the periodic movie voice samples to drive the depravity home. Yeah… it’s all here, but I keep listening because Guttural Secrete really bleeds their craft well. The vocals aren’t completely typical… Perhaps a lot sicker than you average mic cupper. The music fits the brutal aesthetic to the point of being a little too formula friendly, but out of the triggered drums and exacting fretboard work, some memorable riffs and interesting structures arise from the seeping mash of fantastical human gore. I even found myself air guitaring a bit as I sat at my desk, pondering the fate of the CD still pounding away at my disbelief. “Reek of Pubescent Despoilment” is in everyway the same old redundant brutal death we’ve all come to endure, but this band put some time into crafting actual songs that kept me interested in the direction of each track. Fans of Mortal Decay, Disgorge and the like take note. – Marty
UNMATCHED BRUTALITY
Worm Gear 