I was just watching “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” the other night, and the part when Uncle Eddie is pouring liquified human waste into a storm sewer not only is super disgusting, but it also made me think of the last thing on our agenda for the week. Naturally, that would be death metal that sounds like it emanates from where that excrement goes to rest and rot forever.
Danish crushers Undergang are the ones who labeled their sound “sewer death metal,” so it’s not like we’re coming down on them for their sound. But honestly, they absolutely nailed it with that descriptor, something that has perfectly summed up their approach ever since their start some 12 years ago. The band has returned with their fifth full-length effort “Aldrig i livet” that lands in our final month of the year that’s usually noted for its majesty, not its level of filth. Nonetheless, these maulers arrive with a 10-track, 31-and-a-half-minute beast designed to turn your stomach as the band—vocalist/guitarist D. Torturdød, guitarist/backing vocalist Mads Haarløv, bassist Martin Leth Andersen, drummer A. Dødshjælp—drags you through the muck, with a lot of it getting in your mouth. Be warned.
“Præfluidum” is an eerie way to start the record before it tears open as gross growls and muck collect, working their way toward “Spontan bakteriel selvantændelse” that brings lurching vocals from Torturdød’s guts. The band sludges along and pulverizes minds as the leads charge, and ugly fury burns off with disgusting fumes. “Indtørret” ramps up with burly death and gargled vocals, landing punches along the way. The track melts down as Torturdød’s vocals scuff, exploding toward the gates. “Menneskeæder” starts with drums destroying and the leads wailing, while the growls belch horrifying messages. The guitars confound as they chew up bodies, and that leads toward “Ufrivillig donation af vitale organer?” that revels in strangeness and unsettling vibes. The pace crushes as gritty riffs have their way with you, and the thrashy vibe and warped chaos end in slurry misery.
“Sygelige nydelser (Del 3) Emetofili” brings more stomach-turning growls and power that looks to ruin lives as the guitars blaze by. Everything stampedes and loosens screws while the track ends in thrashy, wiry viciousness. “Usømmelig omgang med lig” has stirring riffs and Torturdød just stirring vocally, manically toying with you. Electricity is sparked as the tempo hammers, working into a super heavy pocket and eventually a trancey ambiance before the Undergang train grinds you into the tracks. The title track starts feeling like it’s entering you into a fever dream before guitars drizzle, and the playing drubs. Dark mashing punishes your flesh before the guitars wander in the dark, and the back end is choked into submission. “Rødt dødt kød” starts quivery and unbalanced before the growls start to bubble, and the violence is handed out liberally. The band keeps hitting back, stampeding viciously as growls mar as they puke their last. “Man binder ikke et dødt menneske” closes this horror show with growls caving and the riffs heating up. The band then punishes with fire, adding more fuel to the blaze, unleashing alien torment, and ending with a nuclear blast.
Undergang are the epitome of stomach-churning, ugly death metal that sounds like it originated in the underground filth and flooded to the surface to infect us all. “Aldrig i livet” is another incomprehensibly vile collection from this Danish destroyer that’s been smothering us for the past decade. You’re not going to find another record is any genre quite as sickening and devastating at the same time as this one, and you’ll be repulsed by how many times you want to go back for more.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/undergangktdm
To buy the album, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/store/
Or here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/shop/undergang-aldrig-i-livet-lp/
For more on the label, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
And here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/
Meat Mead Metal 