A little over two weeks ago, I reviewed the self titled debut album from Italian doom band Bottomless. Pleased by their blend of Sabbathian grooves and Obsessed psychedelia, I looked forward to reviewing new music from them in the future. Little did I know “the future” would be just a short couple weeks later. It turns out that when Giorgio Trombino and David Lucido aren’t bringing the doom with Bottomless, they’re doing so with their newly formed death metal alter egos, Shrieking Demons. Joining them on vocals is Gabriele Rossi, but other than he, this band is essentially the rancid little brother of Bottomless.
Considering 2/3 of Shrieking Demons play doom full time, it’s no surprise that doom seeps its way into the bubbling stew that is their debut EP, Diabolical Regurgitations. The four cuts that comprise this EP are representative of the earliest days of death/doom, before the genre became overblown with gothic lyricism, grandiose musicianship, and clean vocals. Think back to Mental Funeral era Autopsy, when Chris Reifert and the gang busted out their old Sabbath and Trouble records and said, “Hey, let’s try this!”
The EP opens with the painfully slow “Water Drop Torture”. This festering death metal dirge opens with a riff straight off a 70s Sabbath album, albeit played in the vein of a late 80s death metal demo and featuring the production values of one as well. It’s then followed by a rotten thrash assault and closes with a militant mosh riff. Not a bad first impression! The following track, “Hidden Cathedral of Diseases”, must’ve graduated top of its class from the University of Hellhammer. I can never get enough of those gloomy, misanthropic Tom G. Warrior riffs, especially when accompanied by d-beats and undead gutturals.
“Unspeakable Rites” is more or less a rehash of the death metal Sabbath approach explored on “Water Drop Torture”. It too opens with some knuckle dragging death/doom, before unleashing a blast of grinding death. The midsection is the fastest Shrieking Demons get, before they slow it to a crawl for the closing “Whispering Corridors”. If slow and steady (or low and heavy) wins the race, then “Whispering Corridors” takes the gold metal. You can practically smell a decaying corpse in the distance.
Diabolical Regurgitations doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s an enjoyable listen for those with old school death on their minds. If this EP spawns a wave of Mental Funeral worship bands, I’m all for it. The Entombed/Bolt Thrower/Mortician obsession has run its course, but I feel I’m writing that practically every other week. Bring on the Autopsy addicts!
7 out of 10
Label: Caligari Records
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
For fans of: Autopsy, Celtic Frost, Dream Death