Album Premiere: Dripping Decay – Festering Grotesqueries
A super group about super goop.You read that right. These guys just can’t stop writing about melting! As a fan of B-Horror movies, I’m absolutely here for it. Okay, so maybe it’s not every song, but it’s multiple tracks on the album. Special shout out to the song “Barf Bag.” Pretty sure it’s about the movie Street Trash. That alone wins Dripping Decay a few extra points in my book. Also, I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but in this case it’s a safe bet. Festering Grotesqueries is every bit as gore-soaked and abrasive as you might expect. Try not to gag while looking at the album art, then press play to enjoy the auditory assault you didn’t know you needed.
We’ve got current and former members of a lot of heavy hitters in this band. That list includes Jungle Rot, Lord Gore, Hallucinator, and a personal favorite of mine, Frightmare (also Bloodfreak). I wouldn’t spend a lot of time name dropping, but I just want to set the stage. This band is largely made up of guys who have been doing this a long time. In my experience, they’re all incredibly skilled. When I say my expectations were high, that’s probably an understatement. Fortunately, there’s a lot to appreciate here, with production that’s both gritty and crystal clear in all the right places.
The record kicks off with an intro track called “Septic Sentient Slime,” appropriately setting the tone for the rest of the album. Pretty sure totally gross and completely evil is the vibe they were going for. The whole thing makes me feel like Peter Venkman in the library towards the beginning of Ghostbusters. He tries to pick up the ectoplasm for Egon, gets it on his hand, then proceeds to wipe it on every surface he comes across. “Yuck,” might be the best term to describe it. The whole album makes you want to take a shower and I think that was the point. It’s full of shred riffs, brutally fast drums, and vocals that sound like dry heaves. That is to say, it’s all pretty great!
Something else I really enjoyed about this record are the track lengths. Most of them sit well under 3 minutes. It keeps things moving and the band never exhausts an idea past its shelf life. By the time I’ve really caught on to the structure, the song is over. It really lends itself to repeat listens, especially considering there’s a bit more technicality to this album than I expected. It’s not overt, but every now and again I caught them adding or dropping a note as a way to transition between riffs. It was a welcome added layer of complexity that a lot of listeners will enjoy. What’s not present here are some of the catchier elements you might have come to expect from guitarist “Maniac” Neil Smith. Dripping Decay is more straight on grinding death metal. So while fans of Frightmare or Bloodfreak might be excited at the prospect of his involvement, I’d tone down your expectations. It’s not more of the same. This is a different band with a different sound. And once I let go of what I thought it would sound like and accepted it for what it is, I found myself enjoying it a lot more. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of ear worms to go around. It’s all still mosh worthy. Just the influence of the other band members is strong. It truly sounds like a melding of all the previous projects these guys have been a part of. So if you enjoy those bands, this one should be right up your alley, too.
Festering Grotesqueries drops Friday August 18th on Satanik Royalty Records.
