If I'm ever slowly bleeding out in New Mexico, discard my pasty, lethargic body into the dark of the sewers with haste. It is there I imagine the sounds from STREET TOMBS' Existence Is Corruption are most suited to be absorbed. This sophomore effort from the band is poised to demand the attention of the death metal underground. No fucking around, this record is an all-gas-no-brakes offering that shackles its listener onto a carousel of skin-peeling savage riffs, low-registered screams, and a thrashy rhythm section.
One thing that sticks out about this record almost immediately is the production from Grammy-winning producer Greg Wilkinson at Engine 70 Studios. The record carries a weight and heft to its heavy, darkened tone, and layering of the deep vocals against the rest of the mix. It may sound corny, but it does indeed sound like an offering from a street tomb. The tracklist offers no respite at any point, reinforcing the sense that as long as the record is spinning, you will never escape this darkened place.
It is hard to envision the average metalhead having anything other than praise for this album. The musicianship from all members is consistently on point, and no one member seems to rise above the rest. Tracks like "Septic Values" and "Mental Mutilation" are examples of the chaotic and catchy energy that the best parts of this record access. Headbanging pit music designed to get the body moving in a violent fashion, and in the end, what more could you want?
The only possible drawback to the record is that the consistency throughout may make some of the album feel repetitive in nature to some. In a world where the masses are prone to hitting shuffle and not listening to full records as much, I wonder if the intensity carried through the runtime may prove too much for some. If that's the case, though, who fucking needs 'em.
TL;DR — This tomb contains earworms.
Watch "Systematic Suffering":
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