Serial Butcher - Genocide Landscape
Released: 2004
Cost: $15

Tracklist:

Reviews

For the most part, Serial Butcher maintain a rather strenuous tempo, and the breakdowns here serve as another means of crushing the listener, while at the same time giving the band a chance to prepare their next assault. These six songs aren’t completely without tact, however; there are some pretty solos and other melodic parts, such as the lead sections in “Cum/Gut Expulsion” and “Where is the Rest of Me?”. These are intended to lull the listener, and make him or her utterly unprepared for the next section of frenzied blast. I can hardly stress enough how catchy this material is. Unlike many others, Serial Butcher manage to keep their riffs interesting even during the fastest segments of Genocide Landscape. You’ll be pleased to hear that at the end of “Mangled in the Mortuary,” the band briefly performs the famous Deep Purple “Smoke on the Water” riff. In a way, this small, tongue in cheek gesture made the album for me, because it demonstrated that Serial Butcher have a sense of humor, and I find that to be one of the most important things an artist can have in a scene which sometimes takes itself too seriously.

Curious as to whether the members of Serial Butcher have the skills to back up their sound? Don’t be. The drums stay in perfect synch with the guitars throughout this MCD, which clocks in at a mere eighteen minutes. This obviously takes quite a lot of ability, considering the speed at which both instruments are playing. A good drummer can make or break a deathgrind outfit, and I’m happy to say that Serial Butcher have found an exemplary one in Nico. Amazingly enough, Nico also plays lead guitar on this particular album. As noted, he pulls out some pretty impressive solos on Genocide Landscape. In a way, I am reminded of Gorgasm, another group with a rather puerile image, but with serious musical chops, pun very much intended. Unsurprisingly, the vocal performance is pretty standard, consisting of thick, belching grunts and some higher pitched shouting. I had some fun trying to sing along.

The production on Genocide Landscape is very good, which is quite amazing when one takes into account the fact that this material was recorded and mixed over the course of only three days. I don’t know how they managed such a sharp mix, but it’s very good and it highlights the work of each member. This is exactly the sort of production that is needed for the genre – when a band plays their instruments so ably, it’s pleasant to be able to distinguish what everybody is doing.

According to their official website, Serial Butcher have been described as a more brutal version of Cannibal Corpse. This is not an idle boast or empty words; rather, it is actually a pretty reasonable summation of their style. If you favor brutality and extremely catchy riffs, then this is the album you’ve been looking for. As far as I’m concerned, Genocide Landscape is exquisitely good. I’ve already listened to it many times, and I’m sure that you, the reader in need of a deathgrind fix, will be entertained as well. -Metal Review