Pornographic Seizures

Sanguisugabogg has been at the center of a lot of attention over the past few years. They are part of the whole modern death metal revival movement that popped up over the past few years, specifically around Maggot Stomp. As so many fucking bands got hyped up just because they were signed to Maggot Stomp. For some of the bands I definitely got the hype while others sounded bland and just sterile. This goes back to Sanguisugabogg, as the hype around these guys is something that has been very divisive for many. A lot of people really love these guys, while others utterly hate them and call their music absolute dog shit. And which party am I in? Personally, I really enjoy these guys. Especially their latest album, but their back catalog is also pretty good. This demo is a good example of what these guys set out to do.

The first half of this demo goes straight for your throat. There’s no bullshitting around as it immediately bashes your skull in with some obnoxiously heavy riffs and vocals. There's plenty of pit-starting breakdowns and old-school death metal riffs to see here. The first half is also extremely short as the first 2 songs are barely 2 minutes long. The titles and lyrics are really fucking goofy, I mean come on “Turkish Blood Orgy”? Like really? It’s so edgy and goddamn goofy that it works out in their favor. I don’t get why people rip on them because of that, they don’t take themselves seriously and it's all for the music. Maybe my humor is just plain stupid. Or I’m just easily able to get a laugh out of their absurdity when it comes to song titles.

Production wise this thing is BEEFY. The guitar tone especially dominates most of this demo because it’s so upfront and crunchy. The drums have that distinct pingy snare that many people either love or hate. Personally, it doesn’t matter to me. As long as it doesn’t sound too terrible I’m fine with it. On here it sounds perfect for what they’re going for, which is an old-school death/brutal death metal sound. This thing is filled with straight-up Mortician worship-style riffs, as well as your heavy slams and groovy rhythm sections. There’s nothing really groundbreaking to see here, it’s mostly simplicity and plain-up brutal. Honing in on a balls-to-the-wall straightforward formula. It’s mostly mid-paced skull-bashing with a few blast beats thrown in here and there.

The same goes for the songwriting. It’s simple but very effective in the riff department. It’s groovy, heavy, and very effective in its simplicity. There are also a lot of good pinch harmonics and tremolo-based riffs utilized here. The bass is very rough and rumbly, holding up most of the back with its heavy attack. Vocally it’s perfect. Devin Swank is one of my favorite vocalists in this new modern death metal revival. He hits some incredibly guttural notes and is diverse enough to where it doesn’t sound one-dimensional. He throws in some higher shrieks that are drenched in reverb and has his usual lower-pitched growls.

The second half of this demo showcases what the Bogg can do with longer songs. Which gives way to a more interesting and entertaining experience. As each song is over 3 minutes long. And it works out because this half of the demo is much stronger. It’s still going for your throat and bashing your knuckles against the pavement but it’s much more effective and rhythmic. Allowing the songs to breathe more and have more dynamics. You also get actual blast beats on this half. I guess the only gripe I have with this is that it’s only 11 minutes long. Leaving you hungry for more, but these four songs do a good enough job to keep you busy and entertained.

This is a very raw, rough, and heavy demo from the Bogg. A very good start that would show off what this band is capable of. This demo started up a fuck ton of hype that would continue to grow up until their big Century Media debut album. But overall for what this demo is, it’s a really good slab of modern old-school death metal mixed in with some slam/brutal death metal influences. Check it out if you’re looking for something that just wants to smash your head into a curb. Good stuff.

I'm probably a bit guilty of riding the whole 'caveman riff' death metal wave circa Maggot Stomp and a few other labels as much as the next guy. Like so many throwback sounds, I appreciated how the gents in all these bands were tracing death metal back to its source and then sort of reconfiguring it into some alternate universe sound which didn't sound terribly different than what I already had, but still entertained. Here we've got rudimentary slam or groove/death metal plastered with just enough of the machismo and brutality to get the pit stirring but without too much of the technical bluster or studio polish, and Ohio's starlings Sanguisugabogg are arguably one of the bands to best to capitalize on the style, leading to larger label deals and a lot of notoriety across the US scene and beyond.

Part of this is because of the band's absurd name and logo, which they themselves have so often joked about on their amusing yet down-to-Earth social media presence, which they also manage a lot more personally than some other bands on the same level. There's a bit of 'class clown' to their whole schtick, but they have the muscle and groove to back it all up, and this debut release, the first I actually picked up from Sanguisugabogg, is dope for what it offers. Bro-core distilled into death metal, with grooving and organic drums, loaded up with some interesting fills, and then plastered in these epic, crunching rhythm guitars which make it impossible to remain still. I'm not promising you that the actual riffs are always catchy, but Cameron Boggs is clearly adventuring a little bit more than you'd expect, with a few winding patterns that he alternates into the usual double-bass driven tremolo evil of vintage late 80s death. The bass is also pretty ruddy and dense in the traditions of grind and death and it adds some bombast to the already knuckle-dragging neolithic brutality inherent to the songs.

Devin Swank takes it over the top though with his stark, evil gutturals, splayed out with just the right amount of reverb to make them sound appropriately ominous, even when he ups the pitch just a bit for a deep snarl. That's where so much of this EP's 'don't give a fuck' attitude manifests, and the band can just stand aloft the pit of flailing meathead bodies and dominate for 11 minutes. There's nothing really novel about what this band has put out there...maybe some more fills than you'd expect, a couple riffs that go into more depth than you hear coming, but all of these techniques were writ large across thousands of seminal and underground death metal/brutal death metal acts in the 90s. It's like a dash of Finnish guttural slime to top off some street level New York butchery via a dumbed-down Suffocation with Mortician overtures and cheesy Cannibal Corpse-style lyrics. Sanguisabogg just recycles this aesthetic into its own grim, humorous personality and for my money, tunes like "Turkish Blood Orgy" and "Succulent Dedecent" rank among their best. A fun introduction.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Here I review the debut demo from death metal newcomers Sanguisugabogg, set for release via Maggot Stomp Records on July 26th. Time for some truly hideous death metal perversions.

Thundering in with putrid guitar riffs, mortuary belching vocals and convulsive drum assaults, the groove of the band immediately ties you in with the snarling death metal gruesomeness, utterly disgusting (as is often the case with Maggot Stomp Records’ releases). A lo-fi production style is the chosen presentation for this catatonically heavy stampede of crisp riffing and caveman grunts, punctuated with thick drum hits. There are some absolutely excellent uses of built in tempos with a brisk flare of discordant meandering thrashes among the mid-tempo crushing breaks.

Bellowing out pure odious and depraved death metal, the demo is short but consistently exciting with fantastically upbeat whiplashing sections amidst stomping vomited grooving parts, a roaring assault of all that is filthy. The drums pounding consistently among crusty bass and ripping guitars makes for such a deliciously rotted backing to the gurgling vocal perversions, offering up a slab of meaty death metal delicacy that putrefies you as you punch along to belching curdled extremity. Dauntingly grisly soundscapes of hammering drums and swaying riffs among snarled screams add some atmosphere to the punching barrage but without holding back on the onslaught of violence.

This is some intimidatingly aggressive material. Do not touch this release if you have a weak constitution, it’s grotesque, dripping in offal and so damn devastatingly heavy. The epitome of repugnancy, a monolith of morbidity and a staple on the roster of Maggot Stomp’s “parking lot death metal” cult of filth. Check this out immediately if you have a penchant for the putrid.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com

Sanguisugabogg may be the finest death metal band that is based around caveman-riffage, in my opinion even matching Mortician in terms of dumb grooves and infectious, short slammers. The music is simple, it is stupid, it is one-dimensional, it is unoriginal, but I love it. Straight from the addictive chugs in the opening of Uningest, it hits you that this demo is nothing but 100% brutality, nothing fancy about it.

Usually I would shun this type of music, but the way Sanguisugabogg execute it is just so memorable. I understand that the band's popularity has spawned from making themselves a meme, but the music is solid enough to support the band's reputation, and while I think that an 11-minute demo isn't enough to solidify your band as groundbreaking, this is a very strong release.

Most of the music is mid-tempo, with thundering bass-heavy drum beats complementing the guitars and vocals very well. The playing is exceptionally tight, and the vocalist is amazing. His grunts and low-pitched screams are on point, and really help maximise the heaviness. Turkish Blood Orgy shows what the band is capable of when they pick up the pace, and the echo-heavy production mixed with the venomous guitar tone reminiscent of Bolt Thrower makes the music deadly.

Although the songs on Pornographic Seizures are very short, they are structured well, nothing is overdone or underdeveloped, the band has made their message perfectly well, and the mixture of chugging and harmonics give the album a very bouncy and somewhat unique sound, instead of continuous blast beats that most bands in this genre shit out and desecrate an entire record with, Sanguisugabogg knows how to capture the feel of the riffs that they write, instead of focusing solely on velocity, ignoring substance.

So why did I give this 81% instead of 100%? Well, there are some flaws. For one, the never-ending slow grooves can become dull, and I know that all of the sick horror movie sample deathgrind caveman freaks who listen to this music don't want clean sections, but I would have liked some more variety on this release, maybe dialling it back a little bit and some points would make the heavy parts more impactful. Also, I think if the bass was louder in the mix, the release would be more crushing and make the songs sound more morbid, like early Autopsy.

Sanguisugabogg is a band that you shouldn't miss out on if you're into dumb, chuggy death metal. It's pretty much Christmas for Mortician fans. While I'm a little bit indifferent about the full-length, I would definitely recommend this demo if you're looking for something fun to listen to.

It's not everyday you come across a band like Sanguisugabogg. I mean that neither as a negative or positive but just for what it is. Only having been around for half a year with only this 11-minute 4 track tape to their absurdly illegible and unpronounceable name, the band has already become possibly the most spoken of entity in the booming death metal demo scene. Add to this the strange practice of running a meme page for your own band, the strong identification with the current death metal zeitgeist, and the most merch (which all admittedly look quite sick) I've ever seen a band have at this point in their lifespan and you have a unique situation that garners strong reactions both positive and negative. On one hand are people saying this has no redeeming qualities or memorable riffs. I promise if you spend a decent amount of time with this you will remember at least a couple moments. On the other hand, are people saying you're not a real death metal fan if you don't like this and that this is a breath of fresh air. Absurd statements for a band that seems to have appeared overnight and whose members have only been playing in death metal bands for a couple years, and the type of words you'd expect to hear from people who have yet to become well versed in death metal. Of course, as my title implies, the answer lies somewhere in between.

The basic sonic characteristics of this band are immediately recognizable to death metal freaks. It's the type of shit you would expect from classic northern US death metal acts and the current crops of bands that like to record at Earhammer studios. Filthy, low-tuned, and plenty of slow to mid paced riffage with the occasional blasting section. Such is a currently popular foundation within the death metal scene, and for good reason, as many bands have been able to use this template effectively and create their own vibe with it. It is not however a guaranteed recipe for success. So how well do Sanguisugabogg utilize this template? Well the results vary and are more promising at some points than others, but never truly reach the level warranted by their praise.

Uningest and Perverse/Deranged are the weaker links here. Believe me when I say that it doesn't matter how short these songs are, they truly do feel like they can drag on at times. Both songs seem very bare-bones and only consist of a couple of riffs. This is not necessarily a bad thing if this formula is utilized effectively but Sanguisugabogg seem like they have just put the bare minimum effort into utilizing this sort of song structure. Both feature somewhat catchy mid-paced riffs reminiscent of Undergang but still feel more like leftovers from the bloodstained cutting room floor of the aforementioned Danes’ rehearsal crypt. These are interspersed with more generic chugging riffs. Uningest kicks off with one such riff which remains serviceable for a while but quickly becomes monotonous once you realize it's more of a backing riff for the vocal delivery. Speaking of which, the vocals on this album are undoubtedly powerful, but lack the dynamics to justify the leisurely delivery pace over repetitive generic chugging riffs that quickly lose their charm. Fortunately, Uningest is a short track so you don't have to endure this for too long. Perverse/Deranged is where this approach obviously starts to fall apart though, as it drags on like this for the better part of 3 minutes. To add insult to injury, they made the chug riffs even more boring on this one. I'm not lying when I'm saying most of this song is literally just chugging on open notes while the vocalist slowly recites standard fare gore and perversion lyrics. The type that are well written enough and belted out well enough as well, but not done any different than tons of bands that came before and did it better. This song does briefly go into a blasting section but it's over too quickly to really break up the monotony of the track overall. The drums also add a few interesting fills near the end too, but again these do little to increase the appeal of the overall track.

So, what about the stronger half of this demo then, the tracks Turkish Blood Orgy and Succulent Decadent? Turkish Blood Orgy picks up the pace and is free of the boring chuggery of the other 2 tracks and is easily the strongest song on this demo which is a shame because it's also the shortest and sandwiched between the two chuggy borefests that are Uningest and Perverse/Deranged. The upbeat punky drumming of this track helps change it up for almost long enough to recapture your interest but then it just blue balls you before you can begin to really enjoy it. By the time you get to Succulent Decadent you're just hoping that even if for a moment you will hear something on this demo that really blows you away like everyone said it would. Succulent Decadent, being the last and longest song on the demo, does enough during its run-time to keep from boring you to death. Here the band throws in some mid-paced blasts, double bass, and tremolo riffing to keep things interesting. Some of these riffs are admittedly quite catchy. Still, never does that mind blowing moment arrive, never does it do anything that makes you feel like "fuck yeah I'm definitely gonna be reaching for this one again soon!" instead of just listening to any of the countless similar and better bands that came before.

Pornographic Seizures is very much a product of its times. The current state of death metal has placed a heavy emphasis on the "OSDM" sound and straight up boneheaded brutality over technical ability or melodicism, which has given rise to such buzzwords as "caveman riffs" and what not. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as I myself am a big fan of both this style and even the Maggot Stomp label this was put out by who seem to specialize in this style. Sanguisugabogg however, seem to identify wholly with the style and current death metal zeitgeist for its own sake without seeming to fully understand what gave rise to this current state in the first place. For those of us who were listening to death metal a decade ago, we remember the wave of wanky techdeath that was booming back then. Many of these bands used technicality as a gimmick instead of using it to serve the greater purpose of the music such as Nespithe by Demilich as one example. The current “OSDM” wave somewhat seems to be a reaction to this yet the best bands in this style seem to realize that primitive old school brutality is used best when serving the overall feel of the music just as the old school NYDM masters understood. Just the same as the techdeath wave of years passed seemed to use technicality as a gimmick, Sanguisugabogg seem to use primitive brutality the same such way. It is fine and, in my opinion, even desirable for death metal to sound like brain damaged deranged noise written by a bunch of degenerates, albeit if done deceptively so. Primitive on the surface but with a well thought out songwriting process behind the scenes. Sanguisugabogg seemed to have mastered the art of primitive performance well enough but seem to have minimal grasp on interesting songwriting. If they can manage to fix this with their next release, then maybe this band can evolve into something more worthy of the hype.

So, there you have it. Clearly not an utterly forgettable and merit less band destined for failure as some would have you believe. This really nails the approach of crushing brutality and has a few interesting and catchy sections sprinkled throughout. However, it isn't necessarily a breath of fresh air, the new standard of brutality, or the absolute pinnacle of the current demo crop as others would say. Everything good here is few and far between and has been done before but better, just as heavy, and more ferociously. I really wanted to like this more but there's only so much to like here held together by weaker links. If they manage to come up with better riffs and songwriting this band might have a promising future but until then it’s uncertain if this band has longevity or is destined to become just a product of its times like the wanky techdeath bands of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Listen for yourself to decide what you think but if this leaves you wanting for a better attempt of this style then blast their labelmates Fluids, or other bands of this ilk who’ve been around for a couple years to decades longer like Fetid, Disma, Incantation, Undergang, Rottrevore, Vastum, Mortician, Impetigo, etc.

Maggot Stomp popped up (or pooped, huh-huh) with some interesting bands since their two-year inception. What caught my attention the most is this bizarre, brutal, and bamboozling name of Sanguisugabogg, with their demo Pornographic Seizures. This sounds like what pornogrind should’ve sounded; ridiculously fun and fresh. That weird album cover also speaks volumes with its serving monsters and the fitting red background, despite my dislike towards the used font for the record’s name, which doesn’t fit.

The first two songs sound like a whole single song. You won’t really notice the transition between them. But for being about 1:30 minutes each, they’re brutal! This band was able to write enough substance for just two short songs, and that’s already an impressive beginning. Moving on to the last two and longest songs, Perverse/Deranged immediately became my favorite song from this demo. I liked the unpredictable simple drums beat intro, when you’d figure the intros for each song would be instead explosive as usual. So you got the opposite. The vocalist resembles Frank Mullen of Suffocation, especially during the bridge/breakdown, only slower and heavier. Succulent Decedent is catchier with more substance, when it comes to the guitars and the song’s structure.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this. The band definitely won themselves a new fan - and this might be the first newest band that I actually liked. I can’t wait to see what they’ll offer in their upcoming debut album or whatever small releases they might put out instead, but Pornographic Seizures will do in the meantime. Musically engaging and exciting, which is a shame some people had the wrong impression.

Despite Maggot Stomp being a pretty young label, they already managed to acquire a cult following in the underground scene with a couple of their lovely death metal demos. Sanguisugabogg is a great example of this, however, it's beyond me how they managed to spark controversy with an 11-minutes long demo. Our fellow neanderthals managed to attract some unwanted attention from people that clearly don't like the idea of a 4 song brutal death metal demo. Yes, "neanderthals", this is caveman style death metal after all (and no, I don't think this is an insult in this context). It's kinda funny how the most brought up point against the band is that "They have more shirts than songs" and how most of these people seem to be the sort of guy who would think that last year's Blood Incantation is peak music.

But what does this record have apart from a ridiculous amount of hate? Four absolutely horrifying, riff packed, crushing tracks. The first track gets down to business right away. The lengthy low growl and chugging, low tuned riff combo hooks you right in. It's not often that I can call brutal death metal catchy, but in this case, it is. The riffs are groovy, yet the suffocating heaviness is still present and it often feels like your ears are getting curb stomped on. Turkish Blood Orgy has some rather disgusting lyrics to offer and apart from that, it also has some incredible drum sound to it. While Perverse/Deranged might be as long as the two previous tracks together, it doesn't drag (I mean, how would a 3.5 minutes long song drag anyways) and it has just the right amount of sickening riffs mixed with the blood-gurgling vocals and odd licks to make up for a real "caveman" ear-worm.

The last track has pretty much all of the aforementioned stuff, but that's the beauty of it! Considering how short the record is, I don't feel like there could have been a bit more variety (which brutal death metal often lacks). If this wasn't enough, then there is the production. It's straight-up scary that a demo like this can be so well-produced. No white noise, no unintentionally muffled guitars, no nothing!

Overall this record is the highlight of the already great repertoire of Maggot Stomp. From the length, through the songwriting, to the sound, everything is just right with this one. For me, it was/is the best demo of 2019, but I guess some people just don't like death metal...

Sanguisugabogg. The biggest thing the 2019 hype train produced seems to be running strong despite the lack of new material and a doubling down on the endless creation of merchandise, touring, and low-grade memes as they jam their own tunes in the background. While this mobile clothing brand has reached far and wide across the U.S., I can hardly understand as to why. Notice in the above description of the band, their music has yet to be mentioned, and for good reason. This band came onto my radar due to everything minus the music (the praise of Ironbird guitars, the endless merch updates for one release, their low-level meme page RUN BY THE BAND, their indecipherable logo and tongue-twisting name, etc.). Finally, the music. Let's dive in, shall we?

Pros: The sonic qualities and filthiness of the tone are on full display, not to mention the band is tight.

Cons: Everything else. Clocking in at 11 mins, this album feels like a funeral doom LP as opposed to a death/grind-esque release. The vocals are low and brutal, but have no personality or special traits to make them unique or memorable. They exist as the songs do and that's about it. I also do not recall them ever breaking into a faster section in any of the 4 tracks on display. Low-tuned? Check. Slow to mid-paced songs? Check. Interesting ideas, song structures, or leads/solos? Not even close. Nothing here is re-inventing the wheel, yet the hype machine would have you believe these guys are the next Morbid Angel. I cannot remember a memorable section or riff to save my life. Even with a gun to my head, the effort would be fruitless. I have listened to this countless times and each time, all I can remember is pressing play, Did I mention it feels like an eternity? By my ears, this release is merit-less to a T and has no business leading any label roster or being hyped to the degree that it is.

Death to the "new wave of caveman heavy metal" movement (not a joke. They coined it recently). Where did this term/wave even originate? Whatever, I digress. While the hype machine was tiring, annoying, contrived and able to be ignored before, this pivot towards actively promoting and pushing brain-dead, unintelligent, forgettable death metal with this term gives me all the reasons necessary to write this off as warrant-less hype. All I can say is this, if their 2020 LP is not leagues better than classics like Altars of Madness, Considered Dead, or Nespithe (and it surely won't be), the hype will inevitably bury this band. Forget this release and spend your listening time on something much more worthwhile. Death to false riffs. Down with the death metal hype machine.

Maggot Stomp has been on a roll this past year with fantastic releases from many similarly nasty death metal bands but so far, nothing has come close to this. This demo from Columbus' unpronounceable death metal kings checks every single quality that I like in my death metal and then some. It's got the riffs, the vocals, the drumming and even the production down perfectly.

This is a short demo, at only 11 minutes, hence the gap in the score for what is otherwise a perfect album. The production here blends that sewery, fuzzy quality that bands like Contaminated or Encoffinized have with the suffocating, fuzzy sound of bands like Miscarriage and Tomb Mold and does it to perfection. Every note feels like it's surrounding you and the vocals especially have this almost eerie, natural sounding reverb to them which helps accentuate the encapsulating sound of the album without going too far with it. The guitars have a mix of that Swedish buzzsaw sound with a hefty bit of fuzz to them which helps add a lot of power to the bass' low frequencies and creates one of my favorite bass tones in all of death metal. The snare drum on this album is tightened almost like a snare that a brutal death metal band would use which fits in surprisingly well on this album. The thing I love the most about the drums on this album though, is the sound of the ride cymbal which has an insanely ping-y sound and is used to perfection throughout, especially in "Perverse/Deranged".

The songwriting here is at an expert level. A perfect blend of death/doom and straight old school death metal. Every riff in every song has that face-scrunching quality to it that signifies the highest level of quality in death metal to me, from the drop-tuned chugging to the chromatic, dissonant riffing. The drums are unbelievably tight and dynamic for a death metal album. The drummer keeps the pulse but throws in incredibly fast and varied fills throughout the album to keep the listener actively engaged to every part of the band throughout. All of that praise being said, I think my favorite part of this album are the vocals. They have this wet, gurgly quality to them that makes them almost feel like the vocals a slam band would use. These kind of vocals in the context of an filthy, more straight forward death metal release sound fantastic and add to the ultra-low end of the bass to create the album's eerie atmosphere.

I honestly can't put enough praise onto this demo. My only problem is that it isn't long enough. Overall I think there is a lot of promise with this group and can't wait to hear more from them. Until then though, this demo will be in constant play from me.