Need to be honest from the jump here…I have been a fan and follower of this Iowa band since I first saw them over 10 years ago. Their progress has been slow and steady, but in many ways, Scripts Of Anguish is their first true album. And what an absolute corker it is!
The band name indicates gory and brutal death metal and that is certainly a big part of MBZ, but there’s much more to them than that. This is a band that draws a lot of influence from the likes of GORGUTS and DEATH’s progressive period, but always mixed with the guttural rifferama and sickness of early DEATH and OBITUARY. On Scripts Of Anguish, they do as good a job of combining primitive and sophisticated as you will hear and – finally – they have a production worthy of their songwriting, something that was lacking on their earlier EPs.
The flow of this album is amazing. It starts out with catchy and groovy death on ‘Decayed Manifestation’ and then moves through the next nine cuts with smooth and easy steps. Vocalist Josh DeMuth uses a great combo of super guttural roars and high-pitched, rasping screams. Tremolo picking and killer intricate drumming by Greg Mueller propel just about every song, but there are cool changes of tempo and riffing that bring the most progressive members of the death metal fraternity to mind. ‘Binge And Purge’ and ‘Sentry Of Sleep’ are two outstanding examples of MBZ’s intelligent brutality. On the song ‘Crippling Despair’, symphonic keyboards and piano add some chilling atmosphere.
The album is over in a flash and every track proves its right to be on the album. In fact, every note pretty much deserves to be here and that’s a rare thing even on albums by established bands. This is old school death metal that doesn’t sound dated or only like a nostalgia trip. I hope the more established labels take a good look at these guys despite their rather out of the way origin.
Review By: Dr. Mality
MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES
Scripts Of Anguish
Redefining Darkness
5.5 / 6