See-sawing from old-school Death Metal to ferocious Thrash Metal, Laceration pack nine tracks into I Erode (20 Buck Spin), showcasing both proficient musicianship and in-sync performances.

And the tremolo certainly earns its keeps here. There’s weaving, hefty stringwork; acrobatic soloing; and bouts of harmonizing.

The barely two-minute rager that is “Impaling Sorrow” is tight and compact while also featuring fluid instrumentations and carpal tunnel-inducing drums. It’s as if the band strolled into a local Guitar Center and tried to get as much played as possible before being stopped by an employee. 

Those same drums can also ting and pop (“Carcerality”) as the vocals make themselves known by way of spacious, diabolical harsh shouts.

All throughout I Erode is a persistent feeling of unity amongst the rhythm section. Whether true or not, it at least sounds like this outfit has been playing together for quite some time. 

“Excised” is a certified headbanger uplifted by penetrating drums that make reinforced steel fall apart like a sorry excuse of a Jenga tower. The unstable, spiraling guitars and the fetid harshes pay homage to a time decades in the past whilst maintaining a polished, modern touch.

The vocals also take on multiple personas during the album’s lifespan. There are empowering and capable displays (“Strangled By Hatred”) nestled nearby grotesque, guttural murmurings (“I Erode.”)

Add in a few instrumental passages and Laceration completes quite the package of inspired Death Metal and frantically entertaining Thrash. It both sounds like a product of the nineties and something that fits right in with similar, contemporary acts.

Buy the album here:
https://lacerationbayarea.bandcamp.com/

8 / 10
MATT COOK