Vital Remains

There's a pretty amazing progression at hand here, as cult ’90s death metal outfit Vital Remains step forward to a bigger label, gain a prominent member (Glen Benton of Deicide) and craft some excellent epic death metal songs on Dechristianize. Hilarious album name and obligatory funny cover artwork aside, this album is no laughing matter; an abrasive mix of sheer blackened intensity, death metal mixed with haunting melodies and long, flowing songs. I mean long, long songs too; but it works well, with Vital Remains harnessing a truly epic feel here. Benton's performance is quite good, full o' venom and spice and everything nice, the crazy lil' cookie proving he does indeed have a bit of life in him yet. The drumming of Dave Suzuki is a treat, some of the best octopus-style drumming to come out of the death genre in a while. This one will not disappoint fans of pummelling blackened death. And it's just so Satanic, too!