Review Summary: An overlooked gem of sick and perverted brutality
Regurgitation is like many of the brutal death metal bands of the 90s in that they are mostly forgotten compared to the likes of such heavyweights as Suffocation and Cryptopsy. This is quite the shame as this album is possibly one of the best albums in the entire genre, deserving of recognition far exceeding the likes of which it currently has. However, it is also no surprise that they are as obscure as they are. “Tales Of Necrophilia” is the sole album by Regurgitation and one of only four musical appearances in total.
Now, onto the album. The first thing many listeners will note (apart from the intro) will be the lackluster production. While many brutal death metal albums (Psalms Of The Moribund, Pierced From Within, etc) have a darker, thick sound, the production on “Tales Of Necrophilia” is notably thinner and almost tinny. This leaves the album slightly dissatisfying and does detract from the enjoyability. This however, is the only detractor on the album. Once this aspect is overlooked, a masterfully crafted slab of brutal death metal awaits.
One of the defining factors of this album lies within the technical proficiency of the instrumentals. While being technical, it never gets to the point where it could be considered a technical death metal album. This allows the album to keep from becoming boring by either being too generic or too technical in its approach to brutal death metal. On songs such as the opener “Out Of The Womb” and closer “Cadaveric Impregnation” this technicality is blended with the unceasing brutality to create songs that are both mosh-inducing and worthy of being studied.
However, this album isn't pretentious in its presentation of its technicality, it always makes sure that there are plenty of crushing and brutal riffs. This is perhaps displayed at its best on the tracks “Repulsive Genital Disfigurement” and “Menstrual Cykill”. These songs contain a multitude of memorable riffs yet never cease the advancement of their warpath. Only the most unflinching and hardened of brutal death metal fans will be left unsatisfied.
An aspect of this album that has been left out of this review so far are the vocals. There are three different vocal styles consistently used on this album, each one of them working in harmony with each other. The two styles most often appearing are the ultra-low guttural vocals and a slightly deeper than average death growl. By having two separate styles, the vocals never grow tiring or stale. In addition to the aforementioned styles, there is also a raspy scream that is featured often used as an embellishment to tracks.
As a whole, “Tales Of Necrophilia” is a forgotten masterpiece that is deserving of more attention than it will most likely ever receive. Coming in at under twenty-nine minutes long and having a shorter run time than Reign In Blood, any reader that is even slightly interested should have a listen.
