Putrid Pile & Viral Load
Split

July 2011
Released: 2010, Relapse Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Metal-Rules.com UK Team

Deities bless Relapse Records, purveyors of all things musically extreme! Between them and UK label Cold Spring, I reckon I’ve discovered 90% of all my favourite bands! That being said, I’ll admit on this occasion, that prior to hearing this split album, I’d never even heard of either of these bands...so now I owe Relapse a further debt of gratitude, for leading me to some more nasty as Hell Death Metal! Both bands are actually One Man Death Metal projects…making this release genuinely interesting in that respect.



Putrid `Pile is a Brutal Death Metal project, being the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Shaun LaCanne. This is F*** Off Fist In Face brutal slamming sick Death Metal. The three songs rip past in a gory blood-soaked riptide of hateful vehemence. As subtle as being repeatedly head-butted into unconsciousness, it’s absolutely hateful stuff.



In comparison, Viral Load sounds almost ‘clinical’, Shawn Whitaker’s solo project is still as heavy as F***, but the overall ‘feel’ is of more composure and structure, and includes an excellent cover of Dead Horse’s “Cod Piece Face”. The sound is a little clearer, the musicianship just that bit more ‘considered’, but make NO mistake, it’s still as vicious and blood soaked as a serial killer’s subconscious!



So there you go, the only band I can put my hand on heart and ‘place’ these two bands alongside, are fellow American’s Cemetary Rapist. If this is an indication cum sign of the health of the US Underground Death Metal scene in general – then this much maligned genre is still very much undead, utterly depraved, and is ready to rise from the grave to slay the unbelievers again! Now where’s my butcher’s knife?



Reviewer: Satanic Mutley