Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat this: There is death metal that seems disgusting on the surface but ultimately is just a show. And there’s nothing wrong with that. There also is death metal that is so vile and rotting, you practically can taste the decay in your mouth, ruining your appetite for as long as it takes to shake that horrific sense from your shaking bones.

Danish destroyers Undergang long have felt like a boiling sore in your mouth waiting to burst, and I actually mean that as a compliment. For the past decade and a half, this band—vocalist/guitarist D. Torturdød, guitarist/backing vocalist Mads Haarløv, bassist Martin Leth Andersen, drummer A. Dødshjælp—has created music that seems to have the sole intent of making you painfully dry heave. Again, it’s a compliment. The band is back with a new MLP called “De syv stadier af fordærv,” which means “the seven stages of depravity,” and they really don’t hold anything back, which is expected when it comes to Undergang. Over seven tracks and 21 minutes, you’re beaten severely as they practically regurgitate in your mouth and force you to swallow, leaving you writhing and wailing on the floor, your body never having been this disgusted ever. Compliment.

“Død” is grisly and heavy right off the bat, which is pretty par for the course for Undergang. Torturdød’s growls snort and snarl, practically giving off a film, and then things get uglier and more penetrative. Alien-like muck blots out any light, and the gross vocals end up on the ground like a puddle of stale puke. “Mælkehvid og gennemsigtigt” is trudging and heavy, brutally oppressive, punching and slowly battering amid the belchy vocals. Everything bathes in filth as the playing blasts back, encircles, threatens with menace and rolls its victims in the mud. “Livløs i en pøl af egne udskillelser” burns its way in before turning into a sinewy, gamey bruiser, pounding away as the growls soak in acid. The guitars heat up and let the fire spread dangerously, causing the humidity to rise, the stench to increase, and the final impulses zap inside your brain.

“Dødsstivhed” is a fast one, bringing ominous tones and burly speed, the growls warping and curdling, and the track heading out before you know what hit you. “Misfarvning af liget” thrashes and causes bodily damage, the corrosion eating away at skeletal structures and leaving nothing but holes. The vocals plaster as spindly guitars add pressure to your throat, disappearing into a foggy haze. “Forrådnelse” stinks with buzzing insects feeding, the growls blistering and drawing blood. The playing is a mashing assault, feeling dark and sooty, melting the flesh from faces, the buzzing riffs causing brush burns that congeal and stick to your clothes. Closer “Skeletisering” ends the album in a blinding blast as the guitars fire up, and the growls get even gnarlier. The assault is fiery and smoky, making breathing difficult and unpleasant, burying everything in black piss.

Undergang’s caveman reek is alive and well on “De syv stadier af fordærv,” and never has their depravity been more apparent than on this vile mini LP. The band remains as unsettling and nausea-inducing as ever before, but you can’t help but notice that you’re having a good time all while trying to avoid heaving. There aren’t a lot of surprises here, but there doesn’t need to be. This is death metal served as brutally and disgustingly a possible in an aura only this band can create.  

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/undergangktdm/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/?s=undergang&post_type=product

Or here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/shop/undergang-de-syv-stadier-af-fordaerv-mlp/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/DarkDescentRecords/

And here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/