Obviously the East Bay scene has vomited forth some potent artists since the days of Jack London, perhaps most recently surgical thrash disciples IMPALED. Not to be confused with IMPALER, the goofy “Rise of the Mutants” guys from the cold arctic lands of Minnesota. Taking the tortuous medical fascinations of Bill Steer and crew to a more pronounceable, albeit no less intense set of songs, IMPALED are prepared to make an indelible and irremovable scar on your metal psyche.

Truthfully, I have been mildly curious about these guys since I heard the title of their gloriously titled demo, “From Here to Colostomy” several years ago. I could have just typed the words: “I like it, kind of grindy” to describe the CD, but I’m sure y’all wouldn’t let me get away with that, so I’ll plunge further. Obviously the ghost of classic thrash lurks between the chords of this fine band. One doesn’t have to look far for the subtle classic elements (like the Mustaine-ish intro to “Resurrectionists”, one of the album’s strongest tracks), or the osmosis from other fine American bands of the genre like SKINLESS. The watertight, throbbing pedal-down riffs in ditties like "Gutless" eat up ground at a furious pace, seemingly firing on nine cylinders.

Overall, the effort is superb. The blastbeats don’t chafe like spastic woodpeckers in my ears, the twin guitar harmonies sound glorious, and the sense of humor is quite refreshing. Sure, the purists may find the in-between-song bits a bit cartoony (primarily consisting of conversations between sadistic medical practitioners bringing patients back to life for live organ and limb removal. Truthfully, I couldn’t blame them, as the bits do remind me of Saturday morning "Spider Man" episodes, perhaps crossed with scenes from “Robocop II”), but for Chrissake, take a look at the Peacedogman website. We’re quite into the cartoony as well, so why upbraid them for it?

Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay them is to say that if you lined up your favorite Eurodeath like ABORTED or AT THE GATES, along with yank stuff like SKINLESS, and maybe some crustier stuff like old PHOBIA, this would fit right in. While the overall sound jumps out of the speakers and waves a bloody scalpel in your face, the ferocious impact of “Death after Life” is far from sterile. Bang that head that doesn't bang. If that doesn't float your boat, just dissect it.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: www.impaled.info

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Preservation of Death

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