One-man death metal projects seem to be an increasingly accepted phenomenon. There was a time when such solitary endeavours were almost exclusively limited to the realm of pornogrind with some half-arsed forgettable, badly produced disc being wanked over by individuals with more of an appreciation for 'sick' artwork than musical appreciation. well, that or black metal. But no longer: A single vision and a will to succeed despite petit matters like not having enough people of the right calibre to actually form a band getting in the way; uncompromising riffing not held back by the technical (in)abilites of the weakest member, but free to develop as naturally and rigorously as the composer intends; and the technology to make it work live as well as in the studio.
It's inevitable that comparisons with Putrid Pile, Viral Load and their ilk abound. Sammy Urwin's Regurgitate Life, however, is not a mere clone of its forebears. Building upon the 2010 4-track release 'Condemned From the Beginning', this 2011 promo takes what was previously achieved and surpasses it immeasurably. The art of composition is one which RL has become a master of. Nothing by the numbers here; rather a perfect melding of styles and influences to create a unique sound. Elements of the old and new schools of death metal mesh together to form an audible experience that ranges from chugs and slams to dissonant tremolos and melodic leads which never descend into notes for note's sake but flow together and perfectly complement the two tracks on offer. The only downfall of this release is one of production. While the drums are well programmed, together with the levels of vocals, they tend to dominate the sound a little for my liking, overshadowing some of the phenomenal exceptional riffing . The guitar sound on the second track also seems muddier than on the opener which doesn't help, causing some of the heavier sections of the track to become a cacophony requiring conscious deciphering.
However, with such well-written material, this is a small criticism. It’s rare to come across a death metal release with quite this level of genuine feeling combined with a total lack of pretension. There’s no need for gimmicks when songs are this well-crafted and when there’s this much packed into a mere two tracks, you don’t feel like you’re missing out. If this material gives an inkling of what a Regurgitate Life full-length will be like, I for one, can’t fucking wait!
