Band:	Amputated
Album:	Dissect, Molest, Ingest
Style:	Brutal death metal
Release date:	January 15, 2014
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. Body Of Work
02. Gorging On Putrid Discharge (Septic Felch, Wretched Belch)
03. The Local Flavour
04. Infanticidal Dysmorphia
05. Skullfuck Lobotomy
06. Psychotropic Suicide
07. When Whores Meet Saws
08. Subatomic Insemination
09. Six Feet Deep
10. Dissect Molest Ingest
11. Toolbox Abortionist

Any knowledgeable fan of the brutal death metal scene should be more than familiar not only with Amputated, but with their record label: Sevared Records. For the uneducated, this is the kind of music toolbox abortionists listen to. If that doesn't clarify matters enough, just spend a good minute analyzing that beautiful display of butchery on the album cover.

This isn't one of those overly brutal slam-style albums expected of a Cephalotripsy or Vulvectomy. Instead, these lads pay some serious homage (possibly unintentionally) to the likes of Cannibal Corpse and a host of other old school American death metal bands from the '90s. The abundance of breakdowns typical of the genre have been replaced, or at least subdued for the most part, with the use of samples (presumably from old horror movies I'm not indie enough to have heard of before). The technical aspect of their sound has also taken a major leap forward, although this isn't exactly what you would call a tech-death release.

Don't let me trick you into thinking this is some kind of uppity Opeth kind of intellectualist nonsense either. It may be a little more varied and personal, but don't let yourself forget this is the same band that gave us Wading Through Rancid Offal back in 2009. That album was, and still is, a lesson in brutality as much as it is in repetition. That repetition can quickly cause a band to stagnate, but Amputated remained loyal to the style while also assuming a more ambitious outlook for this release. It's more intense and aggressive in spite of a somewhat more accessible and melodic approach.

In terms of extremity, Dissect, Molest, Ingest delivers on all fronts. There are times when the drums break the sound barrier, but the overall speed is kept to a pretty digestible standard as the guitars just keep crunching out mid-paced riff after mid-paced riff. The juxtaposition kind of deceives your brain into thinking there might be some more envelope-pushing than is really present, but eventually the chugging breakdowns and ungodly guttural vocals will quickly bring you back to reality.

It's nice to see a band kind of evolve in terms of establishing their own identity, but it's just as nice watching a band go through a growth spurt like this. It gives you hope that said growth will lead to bigger and better things in the near future, and that promise is sometimes all a band needs to really captivate an audience and convert an entirely new legion of fans. If there was ever a time for Amputated to capitalize on that opportunity, it's with this, Dissect, Molest, Ingest, their most mature and focused release to date.