As the old saying goes, “Better late than never.” That adage couldn’t apply more to Californian death thrashers Laceration, who after 15 years of demos, EPs, and splits, finally released their debut full length, Demise, in 2021. Upon hearing the increased death metal influences on Demise as opposed to past releases, one couldn’t help but wonder if they would veer further down this bloodthirsty road on subsequent albums. Furthermore, would it be another 15 years before we were treated to album #2? Thankfully, it only took 15 years divided by 5 (do the math, folks) to bring us Laceration’s sophomore outing, I Erode.
Whereas Laceration’s early output came off as Slayer being jumped by Demolition Hammer, and Demise came off as Morbid Angel being jumped by Demolition Hammer, I Erode comes off as, well, Morbid Angel AND Demolition Hammer being jumped by Suffocation. There are no shortage of thrashy moments scattered about this affair. Visceral neck-breakers like “Carcerality” and “Vile Incarnate” boast that aforementioned Demo Hammer, Sepultura circa Beneath the Remains tinge to the riffs and delivery. However, there is such a doubling down of death metal on I Erode, that I almost hesitate to label it a “death/thrash” album.
This is made evident from the opening blitz of “Excised”, with its lethal riff barrage and suffocating atmosphere. One immediately hears shadows of Altars of Madness era Morbid Angel and even prime Malevolent Creation. The riffs, vocals, drumming, and overall intensity screams of old school Floridian death metal rage. Cuts like “Impaling Sorrow” and the closing title track further expand upon this rough and tough formula, bludgeoning the listener with pure death that boasts just the slightest hint of misanthropic thrash. If it is death/thrash, it’s death/thrash for the most devilish of deviants.
Perhaps most shocking of all is I Erode‘s incorporation of early brutal death metal tropes à la Suffocation. There’s no pig squeals or gravity blasts to be found, or even any “slams” for that matter. That said, there are moments on this album were the riffs are delivered in such a knuckle-dragging, Neanderthalian manner that one can’t help but acknowledge their underlying brutality. These pseudo-breakdowns are front and center on cuts like “Sadistic Enthrallment” and “Impaling Sorrow”, and again, are played with a thrashing intensity on a song like “Strangled By Hatred”. Brutal death/thrash, if you will?
While I must hand it to Laceration for cranking out a collection of songs that overshadows its already excellent predecessor in terms of extremity, I have to equally tip my figurative hat to one Mr. Matt Harvey of Exhumed infamy, who produced this savage beast of an album. The way every last riff and breakdown explodes out of my speakers like a Roadrunner album circa ’91 just tells me Harvey wanted to produce an album that he would’ve listened to at 16, to which I say, mission accomplished. Whether we have to wait another 3 or 15 years until the next Laceration album, I Erode has provided us with enough deadly savagery to last us the rest of 2024.
8 out of 10
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Malevolent Creation