ALBUM REVIEW: More Insane – Undeath

Modern death metal phenomenon UNDEATH have gone from strength to strength. The Rochester New York outfit have earned legions of fans the world over with their cadaver fresh riffs and rhythms and uncompromising death metal sensibilities. Death metal has enjoyed a reanimated revival in the last few years that has proved more than just a partial blip. Contemporaries have been releasing albums of mammoth quality and drawing in rave reviews from all quarters. UNDEATH are at the forefront of the new wave of bands and their live shows prove they can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of them. More Insane unlocks a new level for not only the band themselves, but also the modern death scene.

Kicking off with Dead From Beyond, two things are immediately apparent. Firstly, the band have lost none of their intensity, and two, the production partnership between them and Mark Lewis is an absolute masterstroke, bringing to the fore the brutality and power that UNDEATH have become known for but packing a fuller, brighter punch that enables the music to flourish like never before. They’ve been known to write a catchy hook before and they’ve done it again along with a potent mix of riffs and blast beats. The vocals are commanding and every bit as aggressive as previous releases.

More Insane is an imperious piece of modern death metal. At every turn UNDEATH seek to deliver a new way of pummelling the auditory senses, whether that be through the skull crushing riffs and blast beats on the title track and the insanely catchy single Brandish The Blade, right through to the short but brutalist Wailing Cadavers. They’ve got a firm grip on the death metal throat and they appear to have no plans to ease the pressure.

Make no mistake, there is no room for delicate dynamic work on this record. It is wall to wall and staggeringly good for it. There’s never a dull moment, nor is there any hint of the band phoning it in or producing any album filler. Even though they don’t deviate from the chosen path, there is still room for a twist and turn and plenty to keep the engagement from note to note. The wonderfully titled Disattachment Of A Prophylactic In The Brain delivers such a groove right at the tail end of the album, showing that they’ve got plenty left in the tank to surprise.

The production on the album should be lauded as exemplary for what death metal should be sounding like if not a base point for modern metal mixes. Each gloriously gruesome guttural, vicious blast beat and crushing riff is represented in a powerful clarity. There is not a moment of muddying or indecipherable sound contained within the sonic onslaught. It represents a step up for UNDEATH’s sound from 2022’s It’s Time… To Rise from The Grave. While there was still an undeniable cohesion to the sound of those tracks, More Insane delivers the same intensity with a tenfold increase.

This album is sure to top many an album of the year list and not just for death metal fans. For those familiar with the quintet’s journey so far, it’ll be no surprise that More Insane delivers more in every sense. The bar for modern death metal has been raised significantly and the gauntlet laid down.

Rating: 10/10

More Insane is set for release on October 4th via Prosthetic Records.

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