01. Limbs Regeneration
02. Lacerate To Dominate
03. Blood Monolith
04. Unrotted
05. Guts Of The Gore Gods
06. Phoenix Cryptobiosis
07. Devotion For Putrefaction
08. Neverborn Monstrosity
09. Dismembered
10. Bio-Cadaver
11. Wandering Putrid Souls

Avulsed have risen from the ashes like a Phoenix Cryptobiosis, to return to the scene of brutal death metal.

I was first introduced to Avulsed a few years back when going through a phase of discovering unknown and overlooked bands in the brutal death metal category. Usually, I struggle going beyond the comforts of OSDM and melodeath, as I often find technical and brutal to be not the easiest to digest. However, upon listening to Stabwound Orgasm, I was pleasantly surprised by just how groovy and less on the technical side this band was, and this only gave me the incentive to delve deeper into the rest of their discography. After listening to the likes of Suffocation and Cryptopsy, Avulsed actually seemed rather accessible. Their combination of devastating brutality and unprecedented levels of groove is a winning formula and an ideal transitioning point for those interested in venturing from OSDM to the realms of extreme brutality and technicality without being thrown straight into the deep end.

Avulsed formed back in 1991 and have been on quite a roll since, releasing nothing but fine brutal death material. Even though they've never quite lived up to their crowning jewels Stabwound Orgasm (1999), Yearning For The Grotesque (2003), and Gorespattered Suicide (2005), the rest of their discography, for me at least, still hasn't dropped below par standard. The band has now returned from a lengthy 9-year absence to present their 8th album to date: Phoenix Cryptobiosis, which follows the acclaimed Deathgeneration (2016).

In their absence, the band had an overhaul in line-up with founding vocalist Dave Rotten being the only original member remaining. Here, he's joined by recent introductions GoG (drums), Alex Nihil (bass), Víctor (guitars), and Alejandro Lobo (guitars). Firstly, the band marks this return with an opening instrumental fittingly titled "Limbs Regeneration" that acts as a short taster for the brutality that's soon to be unleashed.

The following song "Lacerate to Dominate" shows the band's absence has clearly not been effected in any way. The riffs alternate between Earth-shattering brutal death slams and headbanging groovy melodies, whilst the leads wail with technicality but not overly so. The drumming is one of the stand-out elements, sometimes hammering away with extreme complexity, other times beating stylishly, and the pummeling bass helps drive the rhythm section totally wild. Once again, Dave Rotten is back in full swing with his signature gnarly gutturals. The compositions are tight as hell, the tone is crushingly powerful, and the production is crisp, polished, and compact.

Amidst the unrelenting brutal chaos, they even manage to unleash one or two terrific solos, one worth highlighting on the song "Neverborn Monstrosity". "Devotion for Putrefaction" could even be a possible ode to Carcass as the style doesn't actually stray too far away from them, particularly where the twin vocal style is concerned, but also from the equal measure of technicality and melody.

Avulsed have certainly made a strong comeback. Even if Phoenix Cryptobiosis hasn't quite won me over like the band's earlier work, it remains one of the grooviest and most accessible recent releases in brutal death metal, and could easily be one of the most memorable offerings in the sub-genre of 2025. 

Performance:	8
Songwriting:	7
Originality:	6
Production:	9