Not all death metal was created equal, which is a pretty obvious statement on the surface, even more so when you dig through all the new music that gets released each week. There are plenty of really good bands pooling and giving listeners a treasure trove of art on which to feast, and then there are the masters that continually rise above and decimate.

Ripped to Shreds undoubtedly exist in the upper echelon of death metal bands, and their mind-bending fourth record “Sanshi” is another example of why this force exists in rarified air. Over 10 manic tracks, the band—vocalist/guitarist Andrew Lee, guitarist Michael Chavez, bassist Ryan Cavaleras, drummer Brian Do—attacks with an urgency, mixed with gnarly grind tendencies and a violent cohesion that is the result of a full band effort for the first time in RTS history. Thematically, the band unleashes ancient Chinese traditions, including morbid death rituals that include the use of exotic dancers for twisted funeral ceremonies. This band never goes the conventional route and always leans toward their ancestors folklore and history, presented in a convulsive, violent package.

“Into the Court of Yanluowang” rips open, vile howls retching, guitars going off as the nastiness is amplified. The playing absolutely steamrolls, great guitar interplay exploding and making adrenaline spike, the aura going from spacious to blazing. “Force Fed” revels in speed, shrieks and grunts trading off to add to the ugliness, bruising jolts mixing with the dashes of lightning. Everything then crunches harder, mauling and buzz sawing, the chants of, “Die! Die!” rippling down your spine. “燒冥紙 (Sacrificial Fire)” clobbers from the start, guitars snaking through rivers of blood, a gnarly chorus eating into muscle. The pace then slows and revels in smoke, the atmosphere exploding as guitars soar, and then the sudden combustion rubs your face in the dust. “孽鏡臺 (Visions of Sin, Mirror of Darkness)” has guitars lighting up, glazing, and then stabbing, the vocals trading off from guttural growls to manic shrieks. The parts keep piling up, sickening with sinewy madness, Lee wailing, “Escape! Escape! No escape!” as the last strains burn off. “Feast of the Deceased” is dizzying and spindly, a thrashy onslaught making its force felt, churning into unforgiving fire. Leads melt as fluid soloing gushes with power, a classic metal feel working through hungry veins, even bending progressive as the path drives into the side of a mountain.

“殭屍復活 (Horrendous Corpse Resurrection)” chugs with commanding guitars and battering lava, shrieks coupling with death growls to make a savage union, a punkish vibe suddenly exploding into the music. Things gets even faster and more daring, barreling toward a violent conclusion. “Living in Effigy” delivers a punch right to the throat, thrashy quaking making the room shake, throaty howls rocketing toward chest cavities. Guitars tear open, guts exploding from the seams, zapping through piles of prone bodies, the drums suddenly combusting and blasting through the crust of the earth. “冥婚 (Corpse Betrothal)” delivers riffs that chew through gristle, growls scorching as the tempo makes it feel like the room is spinning out of control. The drums blister as scathing screams amplify nightmares, fiery screams tearing through time, slowly burning down along with the planet. “Cultivating Towards Ascension” is unhinged and grinding, calling to mind some of Lee’s other projects, as does the closer. We’ll get there. Flesh is torn, brains tangled as the drums explode and spit rocks, the guitars engulfing with pressure, decimating to the end. The closer is “Perverting the Funeral Rites, Stripping for the Dead,” a track as insane as its title indicates, sickening with brutality, vocals spat out as Lee demands, “Strip for the dead!” Fluid leads turn hyper as faces are smashed, the dead teased with strange dances from the cult assembled, blasting into the land of the souls.

“Sanshi” is an exotic, violent record, as well as one of Ripped to Shreds’ most insane recordings to date. It feels like there is no downtime whatsoever, no chance to take a breath amid these tracks that call back to traditions that might be new to a wide swath of their audience. This band never fails to deliver death metal that pushes you in directions you never expected and into terrain you never thought you’d visit. The end result is physical and mental brutality that leave you gasping for breath.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/collections/ripped-to-shreds-sanshi

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