Tainting the Purity

Canadian thrashing death metal maniacs Assimilation are back with their second album.

Creepy samples set off the record in old school horror-loving fashion before a gut-rupturing blend of hammering drums and gnarly riffs pummel forth an unstoppable barrage of total carnage with a ruthlessly gruesome vocal performance to enhance the dysfunctionally discordant, technically proficient and utterly monstrous death metal putridity. Building into hellish blast-beats and maniacal riffs, there is a choppy groove to the music which has a similar effect to strobe lighting throughout many of the tracks, sending you into a frenzy of ecstatic convulsions of death metal adoration. The band claim to hold no regard for modern influence, which aside from some technical flourishes is clearly something they stick to.

Although the record is unquestionably charged by the monolithic and constantly warping rhythms, the lead work is equally impressive with some total face-melters coming from the lead guitarist amidst the sonic battery. Reeling from the intense, immense blows of volatility, this album holds nothing back in its rotten and magnificently tight array of pustulant grooves. Thick bass tones emanate gloriously through the murky mix, while the tastefully savage drums and blistering riff-craft delivers us the most vile and abhorrent concoctions of morbidity. Blasphemously thrashing along, there is a very frenzied feel to a lot of this record that really adds to just how damned genuine it feels, like something ripped out of ’89 and thrown in our faces 30 years later.

Cascades of brilliantly executed death metal consistently rain upon us for the half-hour running time, certainly never stagnating or becoming repetitive as the album evolves through infinite layers of charnel and demonic extremity in the old school vein. There is no denying the impeccable musicianship on this album, but more impressively is the utilisation of this while retaining that old school primality we all seek in this style of extreme metal. That balance is something many try and fail to nail, but Assimilation do a ferociously great job of walking the line with a marvellous result. It is also abundantly clear that aside from death metal, the band takes huge influence from speed, thrash and plain old school heavy metal which gives us a really unique yet totally old school final result.

Assimilation have unleashed a monster of visceral and macabre filth that will not easily be tamed once you delve into their hellish realm of blasphemies and grotesque visions. Atmosphere, horror and some of the most unforgiving death metal of late is what you will find here, so venture at your own risk. Technicality and primitivism meet for a blundering, bludgeoning and yet somewhat sophisticates listen that can scarcely be summarised with words. Seek this slab of hostile, pungent death metal for yourselves!

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com