Deranged

When a band releases a record like III, the best thing they can do is to take a little break, get themselves together and record something that shows that they learned from their mistakes. And as we all know, Deranged is a band that released an album just like III. Did they follow the aforementioned guidelines? Not entirely. You see, they did get themselves together and this self-titled record is their best since High on Blood, but there is one thing that they skipped entirely. They didn't need a break...

Don't get me wrong, they didn't reinvent the wheel with this record, they just mustered the maximum out of the things they had. These improvements include better production, sharper guitar tones, better songwriting, and vocals sounding a lot less like Chris Barnes. You don't have to wait too long before the band shows off these upgrades. Flesh Rebel comes bursting with the classic BDM buzzsaw guitars. This song (and the rest of the album) has something that the previous record was lacking completely: riff variety. While the main riff is (purposefully) slightly repetitive, we got some stop-'n'-go type of riffs and one that is just spiraling out of control while the vocals are delivering some groovy growls. However, the best part of this track is easily the bit around 4:25. The drums stop for a while leaving the main riff on its own before the violent solo erupts.

That's just the first song of the album, but it sold me instantly. Thankfully, I didn't get tricked into listening to 30 minutes of mediocrity. Every song has something desirable about them. Be it the catchiness of Dead Hand Strangulation and Injected by Filth, the insane aggression of Malebolgia or the freakish samples of the two interludes, this record will keep your entertained.

Just like Rated-X, this record has nothing groundbreakingly new to offer. It's a simple, yet great album that makes you forget about their shitty previous one. It won't go up against records like None So Vile any time soon, but it's still leagues above your generic Skinless or Internal Bleeding.

The highlights of the album are Cum on Command, Injected by Filth and Flesh Rebel.