Luck of the Corpse

by Bradley TorreanoCombining the aural assault of Carcass with the technical skills of Voivod, Deceased crafts a strong brew of metal on their debut album. From the creepy cover art to the gore-drenched lyrics, this is death metal narrowed down to the elements fans of the genre like most: disgusting lyrics and heavy riffs. Surprisingly enough, the music here is almost catchy at times. Songs like "Psychedelic Warriors" and "Decrepit Coma" have memorable riffs and lyrics that are actually not that hard to understand. Drummer/singer King Fowley has an enthusiasm for the genre that is infectious, and his drumming and singing are the highlights of this album. The songs shift and shape into nice little compositions, letting the songs change pace and styles at odd points that invite the frequent Voivod comparisons. And "Birth by Radiation" is an excellent track that begins with a spacey guitar party, but slowly changes into a brutal metal song that ends with a blistering guitar solo. Like most death metal albums, this is nothing that a typical radio listener would enjoy, but to fans of underground metal, Luck of the Corpse is a solid chunk of technical death metal.