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LACERATION “I Erode”
LACERATION “I Erode”
By Theron Moore
LACERATION’s new record “I Erode” is set to enslave the world July 26 via 20 Buck Spin... the question is, does it live up to the hype surrounding it? The down and dirty answer is: sort of. “ I Erode” is old school, 90’s style death metal whose sole intention is to cave your skull in, and they do a pretty good job at it. Caving your skull in, that is.
Before we christen this record of the year, we need to clear something up. Although the music is pretty good LACERATION aren’t bringing anything new to the table, rather they’re taking a tried and true style and rocking the holy fuck out of it. “I Erode”, their sophomore effort, checks all the boxes when it comes to aggression, heaviness, and brutality, and for that I give them a ton of cred and respect, they’ve succeeded at making a brutal death metal album. And props for the requisite horror movie sound clip (‘Hellraiser’) at the beginning of track three, “Sadistic Enthrallment.” It didn’t really enhance the song but, who doesn’t like Pinhead and ‘Hellraiser,’ right?
The first three tunes are good, but the record doesn’t hit its mark until track four, “Vile Incarnate,” and then the intensity ramps up to the final song, “I Erode.” I even liked the eerie instrumental, “Dreams Of The Formless,” which set up a bridge of sorts connecting it to the end of the record.
When it’s all said and done, LACERATION made a good album with all the trademark hooks, blast beats, and deathly growls you’d expect from a band in this genre, I just didn’t hear anything new or original to draw me in further. If this were 1994, I’d call it album of the year, but in 2024 it’s, well, it’s not. What I did hear though, was well played and well executed death metal which I’m sure kicks ass in a live setting. If LACERATION gets invited to Milwaukee Metal Fest in ’25, count me in the front row banging heads to ‘em.
3/5 Stars
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