It hasn’t taken long for the bright and shiny optimism of the new year to be well and truly soiled by what is sure to be one of the filthiest and repugnant releases of 2023. Hailing from the land of grunge, Seattle, Re-Buried were formed in 2018 and feature bassist Clayton Wolff and drummer Alex Bytnar from sludge/doom act Un. With guitarists Ed Bingaman and Paul Richards providing the stomach churning riffs, the line-up is completed by frontman Chris Pinto, although the vocals on this recording are actually performed by his predecessor Mat Chandler.
Half an hour of old-school death metal brutality, Repulsive Nature (Translation Loss Records) opens its creaky coffin doors with ‘From Beneath’, a cut that recalls the decaying sludge of acts like Morbid Angel, Autopsy, and early incarnations of Death before the title track explodes with more rotting riffs, blast-beats and particularly vomitous vocals.
The apocalyptic savagery of ‘Planetary Obliteration’ features more than a subtle nod to Nile while ‘Infinite Suffering’ boasts some highly proficient lead guitar work and ‘Hypocrisy Incarnate’ is like having your skull slowly crushed by an exceptionally vindictive mammoth. ‘Dismal Hallucinations’ is a brief atmospheric interlude to provide your head and neck some respite from the constant pummelling before the inhumanity returns with a vengeance on the fairly self-explanatory ‘Sepulchral Stench’ and ‘Smoldering Remnants’.
Oozing thick, blackened sludge over everything it touches, the slow grind of ‘Throne of Asmodeus’ exudes pure evil before the album concludes with the poetically titled ‘Rancid Womb’, a slow-burn which eventually erupts into pure ferocity before ending in strikingly disquieting fashion.
Switching between slow breakdowns and bursts of intense speed, Repulsive Nature breathes new life into riffs learned from the school of Azagthoth and Schuldiner, the claustrophobic, murky production adding to the mouldering atmosphere in the foulest way possible. An unquestionably depraved and satisfyingly disgusting start to the new year.
Buy the album here:
https://re-buried.bandcamp.com/album/repulsive-nature
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK