Vacant Coffin - Sewer Skullpture

February 14, 2009

Reviewer: Jesse

Finnish goregrind; not exactly a subject that I’m fluent in, but hopefully their peers are paying attention, because Vacant Coffin’s Razorback debut is easily one of the most energetic, fun and just flat-out bad ass death grind albums I’ve heard in while.  As is typical of the Razorback family, Sewer Skullpture is all about horror, gore, zombies and general maniacal violence from mutants and other equally hideous life forms. 

While there is nothing technically impressive about the tracks found on Sewer Skullpture, it’s completely organic and naturally recorded.  No vocal effects or triggered drums or absurdly distorted guitars. The riffs are abundant and crunchy and the drumming is more than competent. It’s all very precise and seamlessly switches from all-out grind to a more rhythmic death metal sound.  For instance, they’ll go from a song like “Lunch in Bodybags” which is hardly fifty seconds long to a more lengthy and complete song, “Pulled into the Lake (of the dead)” right afterward.  I appreciate their ability to keep the flow of the album constantly changing which I think is important in this style.  If it had been twenty, one-minute songs, I would have gotten bored very quickly, but songs like “Tales of Suppuration,” “Gut Worship” and “Mutant Gross-Out Fest” do a great job at balancing out the album.  Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoy the short bursts of aggression that most grind is known for, but I’ll always notice and give praise to those who can appropriately use contrast.

Overall, ground has not been broken on Sewer Skullpture nor have any bars been raised.  The reservoirs of imagination and creativity haven’t been tapped either but that shouldn’t stop anyone with a taste of vomit-drenched, goregrinding death metal in which case, Vacant Coffin should be on your radar as of now.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sewer by the Cemetery
2. Dawn of the Schizo
3. Cadaver Sculptor
4. Sewagehead
5. Mutant Gross-Out Fest
6. Leprosarium Tombs
7. Posercrushing Crusade
8. Lunch in Bodybags
9. Pulled into the Lake
     (of the Dead)
10. Worms the Executioner
11. A Shuriken to the Face
12. Tales of Suppuration
13. Get in the Coffin
14. They Died Hungry...
       They're Back Starving!
15. Gut Worship
16. Razor Justice

Total playing time: 32:29

Release Date: December, 2008
Label: Razorback Records

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