raedyn

Review in SOD


MANGLED
Witness Disposal Program
Deepsend Records
10 Fucking Skulls

Now, I've heard many Hardcore acts that tap into Thrash and
Death to bolster their sound, but rarely have I experienced
the reverse. Hailing from Holland, Mangled takes a Death
Metal foundation and augments it with some Thrash-styled
riffing and a light dose of Grindcore (principally in the
vocals) and let me tell you, this concoction burns! Witness
Disposal Program left me thrashed and trashed. Erwin
Hermsen and
Harold Gielen simply rip on the guitars, their thick riffs
battling for supremacy while subtle hooks and abrupt
breakdowns keep things fresh and engaging. Juggernaut
Floris de Jonge is a master behind the skins, his chaotic
bursts kept in line by some technical kitwork filled with
lots of roaring fills and thundering crashes. And then
there's vocalist Pepijn Houwen, whose Hardcore-styled
screams work well. Not to worry, as there are also some
guttural groans that complement the screeching. Lyrically,
these fuckers cover the gamut of death and mutilation, from
a serial killer's desire to siphon popularity through rape
and mutilation in "15 Minutes" and an analysis of the
aftermath of war in "Carnal Abhorrence" to an essay on the
Black Plague in "The Infected" and a tale of a bizarre
sexual fetish in "Body Dismorphic Disorder."
Fans of Death Metal looking for a subtle influx of groove -
both through the technical acrobatics of Thrash Metal and
the catchiness of Grind - will dig Mangled's Witness
Disposal Program. This shit simply rocks. (OR)


Next reviews will be in Unrestrained! and Decibel mag. this/next month