Review Summary: Do you like anti-Christianity lyrical themes? Yes? Do you like brutal death metal? Yes? Have you heard of Disgorged? What do you mean 'No'?
If someone asked me to name a brutal death metal band who are also the aural equivalent of schizophrenia, I would respond with 'Disgorge'. Disgorge are unique and ingenious at the same time. A band whose music almost solely revolves around unpredictability and a sort of controlled chaos must be, at the very least, respected, especially in the brutal death metal genre.
She Lay Gutted is their second studio album, released in 1999, and re-released in 2006. If we compare it to their first demo compilation,
Cranial Impalement, we can see that this album surpasses the demo collection in every way.
She Lay Gutted boasts an even more unpredictable ferocity that has made Disgorge a name that is feared by everyone, and if you haven't heard of them, you deserve to be slapped twice across the face.
Although this album is superb, and highly recommended, I understand the negativity towards it, and Disgorge in general. Listening to Disgorge is like riding a rollercoaster. At the end, you probably won't remember exactly what happened while it was playing, or whether or not you liked it, but there’s a rough possibility you'd either enjoy the exuberance of the event and feel an unparalleled rush of adrenaline, or you'd absolutely detest it for any of the varying reasons usually given. (It was too fast/unpredictable, too discomforting, the carny/vocalist was too drunk/monotonous for my liking...) and you will proceed to vomit and never even think about doing it again.
The element of surprise takes itself from the fact that these tracks aren't based on the archetypal of... *cringes* pop music, but, rather a two to three minute explosion of riffs that develop on a certain theme or feel, with some very rare moments of repetition. That’s not completely uncommon in death metal, but I get the feeling that it’s been taken to the extreme here. Put together with an inhospitable production job, indecipherable growls, and lyrics revolving around both anti-Christianity and gore, this is one of the most brutal albums out there today. But is it any good? I, for one, feel vehemently that it is.
The guitars chop back and forth with a non-stop barrage of chugging and ever-changing riffs that may make men and women over thirty five ill. Thanks to Ricky Myers, the human drum machine, some listeners may suffer from numerous heart attacks. And, finally, the guttural vocals, provided by Matti Way, may produce enough downforce to snap your spine like a stick. You may not die listening to this CD, but, ye be warned, it may make you want to kill someone else. This is essentially a barrage of constant riffs, a new one every twenty seconds practically. Creative, precise and complex are all words that could describe the guitar parts. The only issue I have with the guitar production is that they sound like they're more appropriate for a doom/death metal band rather than music that goes consistently over 200BPM. It doesn't make the riffs completely indecipherable though, and it actually sounds astounding at times. The 2:00 minute mark on
Exhuming The Disembowelled is an example of the tone's better moments.
Worm Full Of Scabs is a track that goes back to their demo days, and is full of doom/death moments.
I challenge anyone to listen to this CD less than 50 times and predict every single riff change. Bulls--t - you can’t.
She Lay Gutted doesn't carry as many blatant breakdowns as its predecessor does, but it will grow on you nonetheless. Because of the sheer speed of the album, I don't expect that everyone will like it, but I'll recommend this to every death metal/grind fan I know. Just make sure you have a decent set of headphones...
