Putrefy | ‘Promo’

Northern splatter masters Putrefy have been relatively quiet since their last album release about three years ago.

They’re long-running veterans at this stage when it comes intense and highly brutal Death Metal, and these tracks come with a certain expectation for violence.

We’re informed this promo contains three tracks that are destined for their upcoming new release, ‘Knelt Before the Sarcophagus of Humanity’, which is due out later this year.

That most recent album showcased what the group have always done best – slamming and relentless battering with a strain of catchiness embedded into it. This promo doesn’t depart from that track record to any real extent.

What’s instantly apparent about the group is how tight this latest promo effort shows them to be. There’s a clear yet crushing guitar tone on offer, and the general vibe of Dying Fetus / Internal Bleeding crunch and chug and all over this one.

They’ve calmed down somewhat on the horror samples front. We’re just hit with a couple of orchestral, tension-laden string pieces during the kick-off tune ‘Wading Through Human Blood’, and that’s about it, although Hellraiser is duly checked with a track christened ‘The Lament Configuration’.

In many respects, the brevity of a promo release like this shows bands like Putrefy at their most effective. The guitars chop and change nicely, with the first track showing off a deft, almost thrashy taste for pace.

The closer is another good one. More technical and lead-heavy than the previous tracks, it works out a strong groove and closes with an enjoyable unpleasant blast of screams and grinding guitar.

So what’s to take from the promo overall? It’s clear the group are continuing in somewhat of the same vein as before, but there’s a more audible striving for speed and riffing.

Whereas the band could be accused of some of the more stereotypically tiresome aspects of brutal death metal in the past, namely the over-use of the pig squeal and gravity blasting until the cows come home, this release is nicely weighted.

Of course there’s plenty of the above, but it’s nuanced and each of the tracks have individuality of a kind. It’s enjoyable and gets the foot tapping with ease.

Still, you know what you’re getting with them. This carries plenty promise of a heavy, very fast and brutal record in the making.

Lorcan Archer ::: 13/07/12