A Gross Death Roundup
I don’t know why, but 2024 decided it wanted to drop several killer OSDM releases that partake in the gross. I shall not complain, however, and instead choose to indulge in these delectable detestable treats. Come rummage around in the slop with me, your curator of all that is grotesque.
Vomit Rot – Emetic Imprecations (October 21)
Transylvanian Recordings is always good for a few releases each year that seemingly come out of nowhere and grab my attention fiercely. These releases included acts such as Loose Choir, Outer Graves, and Nuevo Cuerpo, but it was the Swedish trio Vomit Rot that came in swinging with meaty haymakers and delivered a knockout punch. With a name like that, as well as song titles such as “Envomited” and “Vomitous Execrations,” there really shouldn’t be any surprises for you here. But do not let that deter you, as this thing goes hard. Also, get a look at just how handsome these lads are in the article header.
Sometimes all you need in life is a heavy dose of dumb and oh, how Vomit Rot deliver in this department. Being so grimy is rarely this fun and hits this hard. Color me impressed with Emetic Imprecations to go along with my green coloration from the queasiness. Just listen to that break in “Odious Fetid Aberrations” at the 0:24 mark where the music stops and only the vocals step in for maximum effect. So tasty, yet so gross indeed.
Gutless – High Impact Violence (November 22)
Ever since a certain duo who used to host the Riff Raff show here on the Toilet, Australia’s low IQ powerhouse Gutless has been a staple in my death metal rotation. With their 2018 demo, Mass Extinction, making waves in the underground, it wasn’t until November 2024 that their debut finally dropped, and is it full of filthy goodness. I mean, just take a quick glance at the cover and you should immediately know what’s in store. Being brained by a brick in musical form indeed.
Gutless strongly utilizes the tools of OSDM that are staples of the genre, but they also add in palm-muted, slamming sections like Dying Fetus and their ilk. There are also tight and sickening solos that help to change up the pace of several tracks, such as the quick run in “Avalanche of Viscera” at the 2:05 point. In and out with no filler while defiling your ears, just how it should be.
Stenched – Purulence Gushing From The Coffin (November 26)
Not satisfied with releasing one great, gross death metal album in November with Gutless, Me Saco Un Ojo Records has decided to also drop perhaps the year’s most vile and nauseating record from one-man project, Stenched. Hailing from Monterey, Mexico, Stenched is the brainchild of sole member, Adrian. I don’t know the level of decay that surrounds this man in the beautiful mountain city, but there must be something in the water there in order to craft the slow, dripping, and rotten offering that is Purulence Gushing From The Coffin.
What if you took the tastiest, slowest offerings from Incantation, added the vocals of Antti Boman from Demilich, while submerging it all in the gory deluge of something like Cerebral Rot? Well, Stenched has answered such a question and succeeded in delivering one of 2024’s most impressive underground death metal debuts. If you’d like a single track to sell you on just how good this thing is, check out “Wormridden Torso,” especially the doomy bit at the 1:45 mark that has a screechy guitar riff offsetting the low-end chords and marching drum beat. Oh so filthy, but overwhelmingly delicious to those with a taste for the stench.
