I don’t know about you freaks, but there’s something about good ol’ fashioned, no frills, gore-soaked, maggot-riddled death metal that’s guaranteed to get my blood pumping every time. No matter how many times I listen to Autopsy’s Severed Survival, Death’s Scream Bloody Gore, or Necrophagia’s Season of the Dead, I always come back for more. Lucky for me, there’s no shortage of bands who keep true to this barbaric brand of death. One such band who checks off all these boxes is Lord Gore, who I must warn is NOT for the faint of heart. Neither is Dripping Decay, the latest band from former Lord Gore guitarist, Neil Smith.
On their debut, Festering Grotesqueries, Dripping Decay come ripping with what may very well be the most repulsive album of the year, both musically and lyrically for that matter. Over the course of 14 songs and 37 minutes, this band unleashes a downright demonic amalgamation of old school death, savage grind, and thrash at its most deranged. Looking for melody, technicality, atmosphere, or any of the other fancy schmancy tropes that are expected in death metal circa 2023 by the hipster metal press? Good luck finding any of that here. And you’re DEFINTELY not gonna hear any yo yo boy, wannabe tough guy, beatdown hardcore derived tomfoolery.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look on what IS on this record: Death. Pure death and violence and bloodshed at its most obscene. Frontman Eric Stucke does not growl; he vomits into the mic with maniacal rage. Perhaps he chugs chocolate milk the same way Impetigo frontman Stevo did to create such a stomach-churning effect. Mind you, the Impetigo influence on this album extends far beyond the vocals. It’s present as ever in the grimy riffage, rotten production, and unrelenting pace of the songs themselves, one blasting into another with reckless abandon.
Considering the overall frenetic delivery, I can see where the grind hordes will find appeal in this album. However, Festering‘s bludgeoned heart lies purely in death metal. Cut like “Autocannibal Ecstasy”, “Gut Muncher”, and “Cremator” go for the jugular like a ragers from an unearthed demo recorded in ’89. “Bay of Blood” and “Dissolve Me” throw in a healthy helping of thrash, while “Barf Bag” takes the honors for the best Scream Bloody Gore-esque song of 2023. What’s most incredible is this album simply doesn’t let up. It continues to grow more unhinged with each song, before culminating in the mephitic “Limitless Sacrifice”: A bruiser of a cut which borders on the death/doom of Mental Funeral.
While 2023 has been a sparse year for death metal, the albums that have crossed my path have been absolutely incredible. That said, Festering Grotesqueries takes the cake thus far. There is no way in hell this album was created by sane minds, which is exactly a trait I look for when it comes to this type of music. Not so much a romantic partner or an AOR band, but definitely in death metal. If you’re looking to take a cranial-crushing trip, get onboard with the drip; Dripping Decay that is!
8 out of 10
Label: Satanik Royalty Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Impetigo, Repulsion, Molder