Scumbag - Homicide Cult [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

Angry Metal Guy

Just when I think I have my year-end list all figured out, some bastard pulls some kind of bastard shit and I have to rearrange the whole bastard at the last minute. This year, that bastard is New York brutal death duo Scumbag, their sophomore slab Homicide Cult in tow. Dolphin Whisperer deserves all the credit for introducing me to these bastards, leading with the fact that Noxis‘ main riff machine Dylan Cruz takes guitar, bass, and vocal duties here. Dolphin Whisperer also deserves to face his crimes as a list-rearranging bastard accomplice, because if it weren’t for how crushingly awesome Homicide Cult turned out to be, you bastards wouldn’t be reading this right now.

For the uninitiated, Scumbag constitutes a raucous combination of Brodequin-esque brutal death, deathgrind touches reminiscent of earlier Aborted, savage bounce that recalls brutal tech heavyweights Unfathomable Ruination and Abysmal Torment, and a certain irreverent personality not unlike The Black Dahlia Murder. In order to make sure the experience is easily digestible and memorable, Scumbag trimmed and tightened Homicide Cult to a lean, mean twenty-eight minutes. Featuring universally pleasing tones and textures, not to mention an especially viscous low end, Scumbag’s production choices ensure that Homicide Cult sounds as filthy and rotten as it can while still maintaining a coherent sonic imprint. Together, these attributes—combined with Dylan’s uncanny ability to vomit forth terrific riffs and drummer Joseph Tesler’s multifaceted slaughtering of the skins—merge to form a record so fun and merciless that even after the sun comes up I’m still begging for more.

Homicide Cult by Scumbag

Homicide Cult leaves a trail of mangled bodies behind it as it ravages the land with an unrelenting barrage of hooks and grooves. Opener “Homicide Cult” struts around toting so many top-tier riffs that it’s excessive but immensely satisfying and cohesive. Highlights like “Beaten to a Pulp,” “Pure Adrenaline Hard-On,” and “The Meating” juggle brutal tech and cavebrained slamming death with a sense of ease that belies the blistering speed and buttery smooth fluidity of their execution. Meanwhile, “Unmanaged Mental Illness,” “Perverted Benevolence,” and “Blunt Force Abortion” double down on downright stupid groove levels, stomping my face hard enough to register high numbers on the Richter scale. Song after song after song, Homicide Cult functions like a brutally strong magnet. I simply cannot escape its draw, no matter what I do. And, at the end of the day, I’m not complaining.

Indeed, I’ve essentially zero things to complain about with Homicide Cult. From the riffs to the tight construction to the warm and smutty production, Homicide Cult is the product of passionate, meticulous, and intentional design. Every movement that made it past the cutting floor serves a purpose. Scumbag’s exuberant performance of each of those movements, down to Dylan’s deceivingly decipherable vocal delivery, allows every second of this beatdown to punch far above its already intimidating weight class.

Basically, Scumbag garnered an instant fan in me, thanks to Homicide Cult. Its infinitely replayable runtime is dangerously addicting, to the point that I’ve neglected promo or other loved records this year to instead spin Homicide Cult. I’d bet money you’d do the same. Bastards.

Tracks to Check Out: “Homicide Cult,” “Pure Adrenaline Hard-On,” “Blunt Force Abortion,” “The Meating”



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