It takes a lot of either courage, confidence, or flat out balls for a new death metal band to release a debut album. Sometimes it’s all of one of the aforementioned, sometimes an equal blend of all three. Nonetheless, when the promo sheet from Prosthetic Records hails your album as “a whole new level [Insert Obligatory “of confidence and powarrr!” Here] of skull crushing intensity, you’d best know what you’re about.

I’m also a little concerned that, within a little over 1 ½ years, New York’s UNDEATH has managed to crank out 2 digital demos, a vinyl split, a compilation, and a cassette-only live album, as well as a VHS (Limited to 77 copies, natch!) of same. I may be incredibly wrong, and my inner Fox Mulder may be calling bullshit before the stink hits, but it truly seems someone needed to get that legit street cred quick, fast, and in a hurry.

On to the album itself, Lesions Of A Different Kind leads off with ‘Suitably Hacked To Gore’ which, to its credit, boast a bigger sound than I was expecting, which has its pros and cons. On the pro side, there’s a decent low end to be had here, and a couple old-school-homage riffs in the mix. Flipping the coin, the guitar tone during the solo of Kyle Beam – at least on this track – sounds like it was copy/pasted in from another song entirely, so poorly does it blend with the rest of what’s happening. ‘Shackles Of Sanity’ has a solid main riff, almost military in cadence, but slow and persistent, but the title track falters again, the guitar over the top of the verses just not fitting whatsoever.

It’s partway through ‘Entranced By The Pendulum’ that I believe I’ve spotted the turds in the punch bowl, one being that anytime there’s only one guitar track, things just fall apart. Gods help him, Beam needs help, be it more heft, or to donkey kick whoever mixed his guitar into oblivion, I can’t say…but just, no. Moments of ‘Chained To A Reeking Rotting Body’ give hope, but going song by song here won’t change anything, because, quite frankly, it all sounds the same. The same as what, you ask? As every other half-assed token “old school” death metal band that’s disgraced the Summer Slaughter tour since it began. I hear the trio just took on two new members, so maybe that’ll make things heavier. Either way, I won’t be around for it. Hard pass.
Review By: Lord Randall

UNDEATH
Lesions Of A Different Kind
Prosthetic Records
1 / 6