Ulcerate “Of Fracture and Failure” CD

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"

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Ulcerate
Neurotic Records