Grotesque Hysterectomy

Piercing Through

Anthology Records 2005

Such a somber opening for some pounding Floridian styled death grind.  I say death grind because Grotesque Hysterectomy's style is a little more blasting than your typical death metal.  In other words blast beats abound.  Though GH is from Norway there is virtually no trace of any Scandinavian death influence like one might expect.  Instead this is strongly evocative of stateside styles with technical rhythms and stop and start tempos with lots of guttural vocals bellowing out manic destruction.  And since we are on the topic of vocals these are some of the most powerful vocals I have heard in awhile.  They are kind of like Ross Dolan of Immolation but with a dryer texture to them.  The drumming is relentless and reminds me of old Terrorizer at times.  I am pleased with how the production has allowed all the instruments and the vocals to breath within the confined space of these tight song structures.  And with as much twisting and turning as the riffs and drum beats contort into it is a much needed aspect that they all have their own voice.  The approach GH tries here is nothing insanely original but it is solid death metal and surprisingly refreshing.  Norway has always been famous for black metal but death metal has really taken a back seat except for the rare exceptions like Molested and Cadaver but it seems that death metal is gaining momentum within that scene with the rise of Blood Red Throne and newcomers such as Diskord and GH.  I definitely think that the Norwegian scene could benefit from a fresh perspective and some new blood.  And as long as bands of GH's quality and vision continue to purvey their breed of death metal the future seems filled with promise.