In an underground ecosystem where the death metal trends seem to lead towards more cavernous fare or the especially ugly and weird, it’s strangely refreshing to have a band that takes very straightforwardly from the likes of Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation. Somehow, in a world where the death metal revival continues to roll full steam ahead, New York’s Undeath (in hindsight it seems obvious that New York’s new school takes after its old dogs) are very much standing out from the crowd by taking notes from the most punishingly brutal of their forebears. Doesn’t hurt that they know their way around a riff better than most.
It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave is altogether easy to sum up: ten ultra-brutal tracks of unbridled fury. No twists, no turns, just riffs. A solid second of dweedly bass playing is all that separates the listener from that first meaty riff, a 2000s Cannibal Corpse style dissonant groove machine. The low end is meaty and pulses relentlessly while the vocals tend towards guttural growls à la Frank Mullen. The guitars have the sketchy, untethered edge to their tone that the 90s albums did, but spruced up with a bit of modern clarity and punch.
Most songs feature satisfyingly fleet-fingered solos and some, such as ‘Enhancing the Dead’, have ruthless slams to change up the pace, but make no mistake, this is a predictable album. Start to finish there are few surprises, but Undeath have an irresistibly catchy 35 minutes of uncompromising extremity on their hands that will please anyone not totally jaded by the death metal revival just yet. If the likes of Gatecreeper and 200 Stab Wounds are already considered the genre leaders of today then Undeath are well on their way to joining them.
It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave is out now via Prosthetic Records and can be ordered here.
