Debauchery – Kill Maim Burn (AFM Records)

Wednesday, 20th March 2013
Rating: 8.5/10

The inundation of trendy, “core”-based death metal is eventually going to swing the pendulum back in the direction of more simple-mindedbands like Debauchery. With Kill Maim Burn (originally released in 2003, and re-released in 2005, and re-re-released in 2010), the Germans purvey an awfully simplistic, bare-bones brand of DM that is right in line with Jungle Rot (who are probably the best “simple” death metal band going), and to a lesser degree, Six Feet Under when Chris Barnes isn’t ruining everything.

Thanks to Blistering’s keen Internet search capabilities, it turns out that Debauchery singer The Blood God (real name: Thomas Gurath) was fired from his job as a teacher in Germany because of his involvement in this band. Too funny; kinda like how Cannibal Corpse can’t perform songs off their first three albums because of complaints from a concerned school teacher.

Anyway, Kill Maim Burn has an ample amount of chunky, bruising riffs, especially on “Butchered Zombies,” which is an oddly dance-friendly track that works in spite of the band’s inability to stay on the click. The Blood God (er, Gurath) does have a very hearty bellow, like very hearty, so much so that he envelopes the bulk of these songs, and the three additional bonus live tracks that were added onto this re-re-release.

With little or no attention paid to playing tight or clean, Debauchery live up to their name (and image) of being a splattering death metal band. Frankly, bands like these are refreshing, only because how polished and unnatural death metal circa 2010 has become. For something recorded in 2003, it still has some value to it today, proving that death metal of the sloppy still has a place, even when Pro-Tools and the pesky German school system is ruling the day.

 www.debauchery.de

(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)

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