2 Feb 2016

Amputation Spree: "Inferno"


Experimentation that doesn't add to integrity or advantage
As far as slamming brutal death metal goes Amputation Spree, solo project of one Spencer van Dyk of North Carolina, is an edge seeker. Challenging the notion that the genre is straight down the road and simple, he brands his music a style of "thinking man's slam". There's not all too much history to really rebel against, but nevertheless there is boldness and sincerity to be found on "Inferno".


The lyrics are centered around abstract and esoteric concepts, but the image that van Dyk paints is one of contrasts. Though his compositions extend toward the borders of slamming brutal death metal, his music never fully leaps into different fields. The effort is there, but doesn't quite hit home. The vocals are severely processed like, say, David Vincent's on Morbid Angel's Where the Slime Live. There are melodic tendencies, both in riffs and passages of clean singing, but ultimately it all falls back upon the backbone of drummachine blast beats and fat chugs of guitar that doesn't quite lift the weight on its own.

"Amputation Spree's experimentation isn't completely without merrit but ultimately contradicts the straightforwardness of the content."

With breakdowns aplenty there are short skirmishes of deathcore influence scattered throughout "Inferno". It's not for a lack of trying that Amputation Spree's third EP falls through. Amputation Spree's experimentation isn't completely without merit but ultimately contradicts the straightforwardness of the content. There are parts that, more than others, go severely against the flow of the EP. Given the concept behind Amputation Spree's existense those internal discrepancies might actually be fully intended as an artistic choice, but the bottom line is that the foreign elements like clean singing, melodic guitar overtones and freaked-out start-stop turbo-grind sounds like the ones on "The Age of Reason" simply don't fit.

There are plenty of one man projects within slamming brutal death metal, like Putrid Pile and Insidious Decrepancy just to name a few, and while Amputation Spree shares some stylistic similarity with those bands the craftsmanship itself found on "Inferno" just isn't up to par.

6/10


Released in 2011 independently

Links
Amputation Spree on FACEBOOK
Amputation Spree on BANDCAMP

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