DISEMBOWELMENT „Disembowelment”

Music: DOOM/Grind
Country: Australia
Website: http://www.relapse.com
Duration: 115.44


Cool Songs: The Tree of Life and Death, A Burial at Ornans, The Spirit of the Tall Hills, Your Prophetic Throne of Ivory.

If there is one Australian metal act that quite possibly never received the accolades they most rightfully deserved it was Melbourne’s ‘Disembowelment’. Oh sure, the bands only full length album – 1993’s ‘Transcendence Into The Peripheral’ – is still held in extremely high regard within the metal community, however the band disbanded soon after its release and any long term momentum it was able to build was quickly curtailed. If you missed it the first time around, Relapse, in conjunction with the band have put together this lavish double disc affair* – a total discography if you will – this is pure and simply a must buy for all fans of dark crushing doom metal.

Those who know the Disembowelment’ name (and hell, perhaps even own the original ‘TITP’ album) will of course identify with the fact this band didn’t just play any old ‘Doom’. They basically invented their own style – groundbreaking some might say – I like to describe the Disembowelment sound as some sort of Doom/Death/Ambient/Grindcore hybrid. It’s not a new tag and many before me have made similar comparisons. Still, this is unlike anything you’ve heard before. All of those adjectives fit the bill – Heavy, crushing, intense and ruthless, you name it, Disembowelment cover all the bases. Perhaps the most important feature of their whole presentation is their confounding uniqueness. Like I say, there is simply nothing routine about this band.

Presented in a superb negative stained double gate fold digi-pak, ‘Disembowelment’ features the entire and newly re-mastered version of 1993’s ‘Transcendence..’ disc plus a killer second disc that takes in the entire ‘pre-Trans’ collection of recordings. This second disc includes 1992’s Dusk E.P. (tracks 1 & 2 from the group’s 1991 demo Deep Sensory Procession Into Aural Fate, and a third, a demo recording from 1992). Also included here is ‘Extracted Nails’ appearing in its original 1991 recorded form from 1992’s compilation album Pantalgia. And just to round the whole thing off, the band takes us way back to the beginning with the final five tracks (Intro – Mourning September, Impoverished Filth, Extracted Nails, Thou Messiah and the recently unearthed Outro) lifted from their first demo ‘Mourning September’ from 1990.

In a short four year period, the team of vocalist/guitarist Renato Gallina, guitarist Jason Kells, bassist/additional guitarist Matthew Skarajew and drummer Paul Mazziotta created some of the most devastating and confronting heavy music in existence. And while the sheer volume and underlying bleakness of their music isn’t for everyone, there is no denying the artistic expression of this band. For fans of desolate and horrifying doom laden darkness, this is a no brainer. Essential!!!

*Watch for a limited edition 3-disc release, also through Relapse.

note: 9.5

Tracklist

Disc 1
The Tree of Life and Death 10:25
Your Prophetic Throne of Ivory 07:40
Excoriate 04:44
Nightside of Eden 02:39
A Burial at Ornans 14:38
The Spirits of the Tall Hills 09:22
Cerulean Transience of All My Imagined Shores 10:06
Disc 2
The Tree of Life and Death 09:21
A Burial at Ornans 12:03
Cerulean Transience of All My Imagined Shores 08:29
Extracted Nails 03:49
Intro – Mourning September 02:00
Impoverished Filth 06:49
Extracted Nails 03:18
Thou Messiah 08:26
Outro 01:55

Line-up

Renato Gallina : Guitar, vocals
Jason Kells : Guitars (ex-Abramelin)
Matthew Skarajew : Bass
Paul Mazziotta : Drums