Band:	Rigor Mortis
Album:	Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth
Style:	Speed metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	May 1991
Guest review by:	Cynic Metalhead

01. Dying In My Sleep
02. Mummified
03. Throwback
04. Contagious Contamination
05. The Rack
06. Psycho Therapy [Ramones cover]
07. City In Fear
08. Asphyxia
09. Dead Fish
10. SOG
11. Speedwhore
12. Afterbirth Of A Midget (S.Y.G.D.P.)

Some albums don’t seek attention, they gravitate you inwardly — Rigor Mortis's Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth is exceptional in this regard. Released in 1991, this thrash metal battering ram evokes a soundtrack to a dystopian future where the Earth itself is at war with its inhabitants. Rigor Mortis, a band already known for their blistering speed and horror-themed lyrics, outdid themselves here, offering a relentless assault that's as chaotic as it is intriguing.

For me, what stands out especially about Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth is its unprovoked savagery. Right from the start, the band pull up the face-ripper "Dying In My Sleep" consisting of cutting-edge guitars, a relentless barrage of thunderous drums, and the crushing rhythmic bass. Over the top, the vocal delivery of Bruce Corbitt—half maniacal wailing, half bloodcurdling roar—was delivered fucking straight from the Armageddon's frontlines.

This isn’t a record that offers moments to ease off your nerves; instead "Throwback" and "The Rack" exercise in high-intensity thrash, with Mike Scaccia's riffing reaching a vertex of speed that raises skepticism towards the special theory of relativity. Scaccia’s work on this album is particularly phenemonal, swinging between complex riffs and sizzling solos, and the brilliance in balancing technical precision with raw, primal energy put different flavors on this album. With it being a thrash bashfest, you get to strongly sense of death metal overtones as well, especially in the brutality of “City In Fear” and “Asphyxia", as relentless chugging riffs hammer home a sense of dread and violence dripping with macabre imagery that few thrash albums try to capture.

Apart from the barbarity and colossal encroachment in the album's momentum, there’s a twisted sense of humor running through "Soggy Bread" and "Foaming At The Mouth", a tongue-in-cheek approach that diversifies the album's elements and buoys them up. Production-wise, Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth has an unpolished sound that works in its favour: the mix is dirty, the guitars are gritty, and the jackhammering drums have a feral, unhinged quality that perfectly suits the album. “The Rack” and “City In Fear” are standouts tracks; while the former is a technical shredder, the latter is a spiral of death metal-sculpted riffs, highlighting the band diversifying their palette with a wider gamut of strokes to reach to wider audience.

Quite honestly, Rigor Mortis's Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth, in the grand scheme of thrash, this migration of style is actually quite the natural occurrence, but still a big departure from the brilliant and captivating self-titled release. If you noticed, I didn't describe much about the debut release, because if you by any chance are diving straight into Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth, you likely wouldn't sense any drastic musical shift here. This is a visceral, adrenaline-pumping joyous ride of death thrash from the early 90s that fans get to appreciate.

Highlights: “The Rack”, “City In Fear”, "Dying In My Sleep"