Grotesque - Museum of Human Disease

Rating: 7.8

Country: Australia

Genre: Brutal Death Metal

Release Date: 2007

Track list:
1. Chaos Theory
2. Museum of Human Disease [mp3]
3. Internal Dimensions
4. Pulsating Cosmos
5. A World Dissolved
6. Eternities End
7. Disgust
8. Organ Lust
9. A Fate Worse than Death
10. Omnipotent Antipode
11. Structural Evaporation

Band Website: Grotesque

Grotesque - Museum of Human Disease

Tarren Whitfield - vocals
Marc Hawkins - guitar
Simon Muller - bass
Trevor Owen - drums

To clear any ambiguity, this is not the comeback release of the pre-At the Gates band from Sweden. These fresh-faced Australians can be forgiven for using the name given that the original Grotesque disbanded probably before they'd heard any death metal whatsoever.

My expectations leant towards a Psycroptic clone job, but I was greeted with a volley of gleaming and controlled brutality based principally upon US stalwarts Dying Fetus and Deeds of Flesh. Opener "Chaos Theory" demonstrates a mix of approaches taken by both guitarist frontmen of those bands, ranging from frenetic speed to brutish minimalism. The overall sound is a little lacking in thickness but an adequate amount of energy is still conveyed and the input of each man is clearly audible. What makes the band immediately stand out is Marc Hawkins' gratuitous (ab)use of the strings to produce resonant and dense scrapes, rakes, sweeps and flourishes, much like Paul Ryan of Origin. His intense use of varying pinch harmonics adds some fizz to the title track which is otherwise solid but familiar, taking on a purer Cannibal Corpse character which is continued into the next track. At this point the Echoes of Decimation comparisons are stunted by a lack of guitar tracks, although the Neanderthal knuckle-dragging grooves suffer nought.

"Pulsating Cosmos" takes the technicality level up several notches before settling into Killing on Adrenaline worship with mutating Kevin Talley style drumming over diseased groove-sludge. The song demonstrates a value-for-money approach to songwriting where riffs are only referred back to if needed for the song definition, not for the sake of padding. The next two catchier tracks baulk at this though, being somewhat out of character and less meticulous. "Disgust" is back on course with frantic natural harmonics and sliding attack preceding the twisted riffage and crunchiness of "Omnipotent Antipode".

The final track is the highlight. It holds all the aforementioned influences in balance (with the Origin aspects taken up in the heroic drumming too) whilst producing the definitive Grotesque sound that I'm sure will typify future releases. Straight from the off the alien lurching rake-riff and angry diverse vocals set the scene for better focus and more crushing and passionate output. I have little hesitation in recommending some reconnaissance now because the next album could be a stunner.

June 26, 2009