Slasher films had an apex in the late 1970s and 1980s, and while the genre of movies survives and thrives to this day, what came out in this timeframe could be seen as perverse and often offensive. But, I mean, these are movies about deranged maniacs killing people, and while there were troublesome elements, at the end of the day, THESE ARE FILMS ABOUT MURDER!
I say that as we prepare to discuss Italian death metal destroyers Fulci and their ripping fourth record “Duck Face Killings.” The band, that takes its name from legendary slasher film director Lucio Fulci, concentrates on his 1982 movie “The New York Ripper,” which is about a deranged killer with a duck-like voice slaying women in the most perverse manner possible. Yes, it is a pretty misogynistic film, as were most of the horror movies of this style at that time, and it is known as one of the most shocking and reviled of its era. The band—vocalist Fiore Stravino, guitarists Dome Diego and Ando Ferraiulo, bassist Klem Diglio, drummer Edo Nicoloso—creates this 14-track monster as a soundtrack for the film, dressing every stab, every river of blood with death metal terror, with some unexpected sonic surprises awaiting you along the way.
“Vile Butchery” tears into prone necks, gargantuan growls feeling delivered by a blood-thirsty throat, slowing into filth. The guitars gain steam as the pace punishes, spilling into “A Blade in the Dark,” a quick instrumental with steamy sci-fi synth, electro pulses, and eerie playing, slamming into “Fucked With a Broken Bottle” that reflects a gruesome plot point. The playing erupts as the growls puke menace, hazy guitars adding some humidity before brutality fires up and engages. The drums crush as the chunky playing feels like swallowing glass, ending in a gory fury. “Morbid Lust” punishes with scathing violence, heavy growls boiling and gurgling. Dual leads then unite as the tempo trudges, ugly thrash bowing to the unknown. “Maniac Unleashed” enters amid throaty howls and a battering ram of a force, the leads catching fire and snagging flesh. The growls add a sense of nausea, the guitars glazing and leading to a numbing end. “Knife” ices with drizzling guitars, and then rapping from Lord Goat (of Brooklyn-based hip-hop act Non Phixion) turns your head, growls melting, and guitars adding heat to the mix. “Slashereality” is brutal, thick growls laying waste, the speed suddenly and solidly blistering. The leads squeal, and then morbid howls greet you, chilling your flesh as Stravino wails, “You will die.”
“Human Scalp Condition” brings fast guitars and deep growls, the playing digging deep into guts, then everything pulls back as bones are stomped to dust. Stravino retches as the brakes are slammed, tire tread devouring limbs. The title track is menacing, the drums encircling and searching, deep growls squeezing your throat, the playing charging with violent intent. Guitars add thick atmosphere, and then foggy, numbing sounds rain down, the ambiance oddly dissolving into warmer waters. “Rotten Apple” erupts with the choking quacking sounds of the film’s deranged killer, a hardcore-influenced stomp opening wounds, gang shouts feeling like exposed fists to the face. “She begs for her life, it’s too late,” Stravino wails, meaty savagery sending the song to its final resting place. “Sadistic Murder” brings quaking drums, bloody, gurling growls, and the goddamn duck sounds slashing anew. Gutting death smears plasma, and a battering finish stabs an exclamation point on the end. “Lo Squartatore” is a strange, unsettling interlude with our killer again gracing us with his hideous voice, screams and horror slashing toward “Stabbed, Gutted and Loved” that is awash in brutality. Growls maul as the leads simmer, the stinking summer heat making breathing difficult and unpleasant. Guitars hypnotize as the growls carve bone, dissolving into steam. Closer “Il Miele Del Diavolo” is quite the outro, keys leaving sheets of ice, mystical clouds gathering, the sax sinking in and adding to that desperate call of the city, disappearing into the thick, unsettling night.
“Duck Face Killings” is a manic, splattering record inspired by one of the most ruthless, violence slasher films of the 1980s, and Fulci capture the scummy bloodshed with their mind-twisting death metal. Anyone who has been aboard for the band’s previous records won’t be shocked at all, as this is the type of thing this force has been up to from the start. For the uninitiated, this is death metal a bit more deranged and gory than you might expect, armed with songs from a film known as one of horror’s most despicable.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/fulciband
To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/fulci
For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/
Meat Mead Metal 