People unfamiliar with the ins and outs of metal’s countless subgenres probably find death metal ridiculous. You can hear jabs people make about it, the vocals especially, and whatever, man. People who love it revel in the blood-soaked gore, the over-the-top horrors, and the violent sounds that somehow calm the terror in us all.

New York was one of the hotbeds of death metal originally, boasting Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Immolation and others, and over the past few years, Undeath have done a smashing job learning from the masters and creating a world their own. On their great third record “More Insane,” the band—vocalist Alexander Jones, guitarists Kyle Beam and Jared Welch, bassist Tommy Wall, drummer Matt Browning—ups the ante from their previous work (2020 debut “Lesions of a Different Kind” and 2022 breakthrough “It’s Time … to Rise From the Grave”)  by delivering an even more refined vision with equal amounts bloodshed and relentless melody. Listeners wanting all-out brutality can find that here for sure, but there’s also an accessibility that can let in those who are curious but don’t want their heads removed right away. That lets them take a beating, develop some calluses, and indoctrinate themselves into the most vicious form of heavy metal.

“Dead From Beyond” opens with militaristic drumming before it tears apart, drubbing as the leads electrify. Riffs sweep over the chorus, the harsh growls adding to the punishment, speed then exploding as soloing rockets through the skies, everything coming to a crushing end. The title track blisters, crushing force coming your way, snarling drums combining with prog-infested bass that slithers at will. Brutality spurts as the vocals clutch throats, crazed riffs going wild as the final gusts blacken eyes. “Brandish the Blade” fires up as strong riffs and inescapable melodies combine, making for something that’s a little sugary on the surface but deadly at its heart. “We know! The time is now!” Jones howls, the playing gradually slowing and pulverizing, fluid soloing working through the murk as the chorus eats into ribcages. “Disputatious Malignancy” is thick and engorging, burly at its core, and then things  turn ugly and savage. The attack is jarring and quaking in a hurry, roars crushing wills, and the guitars zapping into oblivion. “Sutured for War” feels glorious when it dawns, growls snaking, guttural playing heading into lumbering mud. Growls maul as it feels like skulls are being buried beneath pavement, crushing until the final second.

“Cramped Caskets (Necrology)” bludgeons and thrashes, heading full force through soot, riffs crawling and gliding through the dirt, darkness dropping and blanketing the earth. “Bodies mashed together,” Jones wails, a hilarious yet morbid vision of way too many corpse locked into the same casket, and the drums round back and give this an even deadlier aura. “Bounty Hunter” returns to the mud, mucking up the gears and filling your veins with sludge. The vocals punch as the brutality thickens, the riffs smearing, Jones vowing, “I will claim your bounty,” before the band ends it with a blunt hammer shot. “Wailing Cadavers” actually swings a bit and also blisters, stomping and darting through the darkness, leaving flesh charred. Growls seethe as the pace gets slower and more brutal, fading into the deepest reaches of hell. “Disattachment of a Prophylactic in the Brain” is a goddamn mouthful, and it enters with the drumming driving with attitude, the guitars lighting up, and Jones spitting out his words like they’re poisoning him. The band slips into thrashy waters, and then a blindingly fast gust knifes toward prone victims, the guitars going off and blistering out of control. Closer “Bones Clattering in the Cave” smashes and slays, the boiling temperatures leaving sweat and grit on your brow, throaty vocals scraping flesh. The playing turns seething and insane, the pace blasting in a renewed burst, heaviness raining down mercilessly, Jones’ final screams rippling into time.

The gore and horror on “More Insane” burst out of every crevice as Undeath continue their upward trajectory with bludgeoning power on this third record. If you’re one of those people so serious about death metal that you can’t have any fun, then this likely isn’t the record for you. For the rest of us, this is another generous serving of the grossest, catchiest death metal you’re bound to hear this autumn, and each visit with this record unlocks more ghouls, demons, and blood that keep you disgustingly nourished.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.prostheticrecords.com/

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