Having been most impressed with the demo material from Auckland, New Zealand death metal act Ulcerate a few years ago, I was looking forward to checking out their debut full-length, "Of Fracture and Failure" (on Neurotic Records), when it showed up in the mail recently. I referred to the general tone of their demo recordings as "a mix of Cryptopsy (but not that over the top), a dash of Suffocation, some of the Florida classics, and even a few more modern shredding riffs akin to the Polish scene" – which still stands to some degree, as this is still thick, brutal material – but they're definitely leaning in that more "over the top" direction these days in terms of infusing a greater deal of explosive technicality and chaotic songwriting arrangements. I'd also throw a Gorguts mention into the mix now, though, because along with the aforementioned characteristics comes a certain air of churning dissonance and just, well… weirdness that really works in the band's favor. While I tend to be turned off by these types of frantic and frenzied compositional tactics, Ulcerate proves to be a top-notch act in that regard by continuing to provide enough little fits of breathing room for the listener to latch onto unexpectedly atmospheric twists or flat out crushing grooves – not to mention the fact that their playing is excellently tight (the drumming is fuckin' great) and the production values are nice and beefy. It might be a slightly more enjoyable listen were they to ease up and restrain themselves just a hint more often, but I'm still quite pleased with this effort, and would expect the band to start garnering quite a bit more attention based on the merits of their material. Well done…

Ulcerate "Martyr of the Soil"

Purchase:

@ Ulcerate
@ Neurotic Records