Undeath - More Insane

Angry Metal Guy 70

Modern trends in “old school” death metal bug me. Beyond the neverending competition to see who can print the ugliest four-sided longsleeve in existence, the bulk of the scene appears annoyingly content with aping the bullet points of their inspirations. That’s why Undeath, who have never come across as trying to sound like anyone other than Undeath, are one of my very favorites of the bunch. Undeath is obviously not reinventing death metal, and comparisons have and will continue to be made to legendary acts (Cannibal Corpse) and modern contemporaries (Necrot), but Undeath’s unparalleled understanding of the genre’s appeal enables them to operate on pure death metal instinct. Three albums in, this instinct and compounding experience, are being leveraged in the name of sonic expansion. Though Undeath has rarely exercised subtlety, More Insane sees the band in maximalist overdrive.

I’ve often compared Undeath to Cannibal Corpse as neither band shies away from conjuring colorfully melodic counterbalances to their deathly centers of gravity. Yet More Insane isn’t just melodic; it feels downright anthemic. “Brandish the Blade” exemplifies this feeling with ascending tremolo lines swelling in power metal grandeur while retaining a pure death metal feel. That is, until the guitar solo in the track’s latter half explodes with harmonic flair ripped straight from the power metal playbook. Indeed, Undeath’s most cavernous qualities have been pared back in favor of a more contemporary experience, but More Insane almost exclusively utilizes this accessibility as an avenue to invention. If you loved “Human Chandelier” from Undeath’s sophomore showstopper It’s Time… To Rise from the Grave, you will adore the unconventionally twisty catchiness of tracks like “Disattachment of a Prophylactic in the Brain.”¹

More Insane by Undeath

Whether through innovation or masterclass exercises in basic death metal fundamentals (“Bounty Hunter”), More Insane feels brilliant for the bulk of its blisteringly quick runtime. Its only structural fumble is one of consistency. Certain tracks have the audacity to be merely “pretty good” in a tracklist full of heaters like “Dead from Beyond” or “Disputatious Malignancy.” Some of these cuts fail to resonate as strongly due to feeling relatively basic; “Wailing Cadavers,” while plenty fun in the moment, is just “that track between “Bounty Hunter” and “Disattachment of a Prophylactic in the Brain.”² Elsewhere, “Sutured for War” presents as a slab of competent and enjoyable The Black Dahlia Murder worship, and while it’s an appreciable oddity, it ultimately feels out of place. This is not to say that Undeath should shy away from incorporating melodeath elements. The aforementioned “Disputatious Malignancy” excels at doing exactly that in a framework more befitting of Undeath’s strengths.

Speaking of optimization, More Insane’s more insane songwriting demands elevated technicality, and the entire band delivers in a manner I would never have expected upon first hearing Lesions of a Different Kind. Drummer Matt Browning, and guitarists Kyle Beam and Jared Welch, tackle near-tech death levels of complexity on tracks like “Disputatious Malignancy” and “Disattachment of a Prophylatctic in the Brain,”³ seemingly without breaking a sweat, and bassist Tommy Wall’s anchoring lines convert certain tracks (“More Insane”) into the band’s best groove-fests to date. All the while, vocalist Alexander Jones delivers on such a level that I can’t help but wonder if the album title was based on his performances on this record. I’ve always enjoyed his no-frills growls in their cavernous, vaguely whispery glory, but Jones’ growls on More Insane are notably full-throated and primed for manic escalation at the drop of a hat. His ascending cries of “Writhing in my head!” during “Disputatious Malignancy” are just one of countless infectious and memorable examples where he significantly elevates Undeath’s personality.

For all its cartoonish gore and slime, some people tend to take death metal way too seriously. When I’ve reviewed Undeath in the past, something about the band has driven those people in the comments to turn their minds inside out,⁴ seemingly in a vain search to comprehend how anyone can think something so simple can be so great.⁵ Despite its disappointingly flat production – it’s not bad, just unexciting – More Insane is so charismatic as to have a solid shot at converting at least a portion of that crowd. It doesn’t reach its full potential for its entire runtime, but when firing on all cylinders, More Insane excels at grabbing the elements that make Undeath great and pulling them in unexpected and thrilling directions. While not the crown jewel of the Undeath catalog, More Insane handily cements the Undeath discography as one of the best in the scene today, and I get the impression that they are only just getting started.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: undeath.bandcamp.com | undeathmetal.com | facebook.com/undeathNY
Releases Worldwide: October 4th, 2024

The post Undeath – More Insane Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.