ALBUM REVIEW: Dystopian Putrescence – Dissonant Seepage

There’s a certain expectation when you listen to a band with a name as grotesque as DISSONANT SEEPAGE and a track list to match. The expectation being brain-rotting brutality. And while this sophomore effort from the New York three piece certainly gets the job done, it rarely elevates itself beyond the bare bones of brutal death metal.

Right from the start of Dystopian Putrescence, the band proves they can write a riff and hammer it into the ground until it’s pulp. While this is a huge appeal of any death metal album they don’t really have enough bite behind them. Immortal Until Decay injects a bit of groove into the mix which is welcomed, but still falls a little flat. Similarly, Rotting Monument lumbers along, attempting to crush with force but ultimately ends up background music lacking captivation. Even when the band tries to spice things up, like on Gargling Nails, where they inject a bit of uniqueness into the mix, it feels more like novelty. The elements are there, there is a rawness meandering through the record but it feels too polished, too serious to be anything more than satisfying.

However, the above statements do not reign true for the entire record. Constructing Flesh Into Shit brings slow, punishing rhythms and demented drum work that injects a serious edge into the album’s core. In this case, the tight and clean production and polish works in the tracks favour. The solid grooves throughout this track give a sense of the band’s true potential. The real standout on Dystopian Putrescence, by far, is Dead Carcass To Worship. A groovy riff anchors the track, but it’s the two-minute mark where things erupt with a breakdown surging with fury. Each element, from the indecipherable guttural vocals to the interwoven guitar riffs slot together flawlessly. It’s brutal, tight, and almost frustrating it shows what the band is capable of when they align. The title track closes things out with a heavy helping of slams, screeches, and chaos. It’s elevated and wraps up the album neatly. Cody McConnell’s vocals take the highlight here, being entrancing evil and utterly undistinguishable.

Overall, Dystopian Putrescence has all the elements for a standout brutal death metal record, it’s just missing an ingredient to take it from satisfying to memorable. For brainrot fans it’s full of riffs, slams and scratches that do not require a hard level of thinking. But otherwise it’s an attempt, a building block for their next release which will hopefully unlock that worship-worthy status.

Rating: 6/10

Dystopian Putrescence is out now via Comatose Music.

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