Obvious fans of the Cannibal Corpse "Splatter" school of death metal, Accidental Suicide brings a sharper musical ability to this circle.

Yes, the vocals are rather unintelligible, and at times everything seems to just be falling apart (just as it should be, many folks say). But the tempos shift, real chord progressions can be recognized and even a true song construction or two.

As I work into the album, the more I am liking it. It's not so much splashy as completely crazy. Almost a doom effect wandering through occasionally. Rather nice work for five Midwestern (I assume, as this was recorded in Milwaukee) boys.

If death metal is going to make its way into the households of suburban America, it will take more albums like this one. It is cleanly produced, cleanly performed music that is almost radio-ready.

That's Album-Oriented Radio ready, as you folks will be devouring it momentarily. Bands like Desultory and Tiamat are both on the track to bringing death metal a little closer to respectability. But do we really want that? Well, that's a question I will be answering whilst I sit on a panel at the "Rock and Rap" convention in Columbia, MO next week. My answer is yes and no.

Sure, it would be nice to have cool music played on the radio so we could listen to it. But while we liked Seattle stuff like Mudhoney, Green River and Soundgarden a few years ago, those bands evolved and subtly changed their sounds (not to mention names and line-ups) and are now welcomed with open arms. It will take more classic rock riffs and keyboards to get death metal on the airwaves.

I like the new sound. I like the old guard. And I love this album.

As if the Millersville boys aren't six feet under already, they feel compelled to create a new series of CD singles they call the "The Underground Series" ("Not For Trendy Ears" - I like that). And a damn good thing they are, too.

This is their way of bridging the gap between tape trading and their regular releases (after all, a full-length from these guys will be coming later this year).

As for the music, the fuzz on this would need a chainsaw to shave. Damn! Reminiscent of Sorrow, but everything is heavier, duller (sound-wise) and a lot meaner. And let's not forget long - the three tracks go for almost a half-hour. Your time will be well-spent. This is truly brutal fare not to be missed by any true fan of the genre. After all, the longer to song, the further your butt flies after it's been kicked.

Don't play this because some famous bald guy tells you to. After all, you're able to recognize tasteless lyrics and great music when they're presented to you.

With perhaps the finest use of guitar feedback I've heard in ages, Eyehategod crank out musical turds that are one part psychotic sludge grunge, one part sloppy punk and one part sick motherfuckers. Oh, let's not forget that whiny squeal that tends to take on a presence not unlike the sitar on later Beatles records.

This compares well with another band of scatological freaks, Type O Negative. Damn heavy, mostly sick music that will force itself into your most vulnerable cavity and leave you raw, but begging for more.

A couple of firsts here: death metal guys referring to "all the girls I get" in the liners, and also backing vocals credit. Certainly interesting, to say the least.

Getting to the music, a very fine, slow pounding is administered, followed by a peppering of quick shots to the stomach. While the tempos do change often, the songs flow, not jerk around. And finding a death metal band who really understands (or even wants to understand) flow is quite a find, indeed. Not something you see everyday.

The lead work is blistering and rather creative. While very fast, the feel is more bluesy than technical. Goodness, but it feels so good.

What, a German death metal band that manages to find a sound for itself? I know that's becoming a cliche, but maybe it's because those guys over there have their shit straight and actually want to lead and not follow any pack. I second the movement.

This is a bit premature, but since Matt sent me this fine German pressing promo-CD, I figure I'll whet your appetites.

The album opens with a sample also found (in longer form) on the Pitch Shifter album reviewed in this issue (and I reviewed them back to back, so it got a little spooky), but this is no run of the mill death album.

Gorefest take the vicious, mean side of death metal and distill it into a purer form of hatred and musical force.

This almost seems scored, not written or anything as mundane as that. At one time I attributed the improvement I perceived in death metal acts as my getting more interested in the genre (like about two years ago). But now I just have to say: it's a tough world out there, and you'd better be good.

The complete mastery of the music is breathtaking. I am left but to gasp.

Not just a side project, this is FLA by another name. Their last album as Intermix was so interminable and emotionless I thought it would never end. Well, a friend of mine has called techno "suburban soul", and after listening to that album, I had no choice but to concur.

Just like the Will EP, however, this is much more interesting. It's not great, not even great techno, but I could ad would dance to it after a few Guinnesses have passed my lips. I'd rather dance to Pigface, but this ain't bad. Wait a minute, a hint of funk! A hint! Well, so Parli-delic funkmeister Clinton (George, that is) won't be quaking in his platform boots, but still.

Two tapes from these guys, one of which may or may not be their album on Turbo Records (which would make it ineligible for demo status, but I can't tell, so why worry?).

Malicious Onslaught can play their instruments very well, and at times their techinical brilliance seems to overshadow any feeling, but not often.

This is better than the last tape I heard from them, and I can only assume they will improve even more.

Pre-Earache era musings. Reminiscent (pleasantly) of Streetcleaner-style Godflesh. Boy, this is brutal.

While re-issues are often a waste of time, as there is a reason the older recordings never saw our fair shores, not here. This is at least as good as their more recent work. It gets you right in the, well, you know.

All we would need to neuter the pets of America would be to play this album at 120 dbs throughout our fine neighborhoods for a couple of days or so.

I have been needing a new fix of industrio-death pounding for so long, I was beginning to despair of its existence. And now I hear the new Dead World may sound something like this at times, my cup runneth over. And this stomps it to bits.

You folks have reported these guys' single, this demo EP and I assume you will get very excited over their upcoming full-length album.

The vocals are a little less intelligible than the Accused, a band which they sound like quite a bit. More emphasis on splatter and gore even than the Seattle boys, though, and the music can be rather disjointed and even disconcerting at times.

Interesting? Yeah. My cup of tea? Not really. But I understand why a lot of you like them. They are something.

As a rule, I don't espouse any religion. So I can review Christian, Buddhist, Islamic and yes, Satanic recordings without any problem. The lyrics are a little silly, but they are well-written, which beats the hell out of Deicide, for sure. I mean, the fact they use metaphors alone says something...

The music really helps here, too. It shows a style and intelligence not found in many bands, Satanic or otherwise. Kinda like comparing the fashion sense of some dork in flannel to a guy in an Italian suit.

On this album, itss the music that gets to me. Each song, I hear myself muttering "Damn, that's good..." I must say (put on Ed Grimley mask) I don't do that very often. This is one record that gets a rave based solely on itsstyle. It simply blows me away.

It doesn't matter what kind of loud music you like; Samael will leave you satiated.

Many death metal bands started out playing the thrash-style music Sodom epitomized in the eighties. And while for some reason (it was kinda boring?) they moved on, Sodom remained an almost mythical influence.

So they figure, why not move on as well? After all, the talent is still there. On this album they trade off between vicious, death-like tracks and infectious, almost-commercial metal songs like "One Step Over the Line".

This isn't revolutionary. Much of it has been done before, even by them. And yes, it seems thrash is a pretty dead metal spin-off these days, which dates the tracks a little. But on the other hand, it's awful nice to revel in the past a little. Especially when its done so well.

Before I get to the important musical part of the review, I will note for the record that the Treepeople have scored another milestone for C/Z - the label's first promo CD single (see the number on the spine). The good folks at C/Z must dig the Treepeople even more than I do (hard to imagine).

Two versions of "Outside In", both the 7" one and a mostly acoustic reworking from the new album. Plus another album track, an amusing cover of a Carly Simon tune and a cover of a song by an obscure Boise band (and if you're obscure in Boise...) which is the highlight of the disc for me.

Is it pop? Yes. Is it loud? Yes. Will you want to play it? Yes, and so will every other dj at your station. I can feel this crazy momentum for the Treepeople starting even as I sit here at my terminal guzzling de-caf iced tea. It's coming, I tell you!

Entirely Doug Carrion, former member of Dag Nasty and the Descendents. He is a one-man band, even live. And this is the first release from his label.

One might expect this to be self-indulgent; after all, when one person is in charge of the entire works things can get that way (I sure know that). But not here. After all, punk has usually been associated with brevity and tightness, and both are well-exhibited here.

But despite Carrion's roots, this is not a punk album. It wanders in territory acts like Malhavoc and Dead World have tread. Not entirely industrial, you can tell where he's been, but the trip into the future is even more exciting. This album exudes extreme hatred for most anything you can imagine. And it is one hell of a great statement.

With their first album on the way sometime this year, Unearth has managed to compile a rather awesome 7" track record (and following).

The single is a great pop-grunge piece that sounds a little different than the hyped Seattle sound. It may be short, but leaves a great aftertaste.

The Sab cover on the flip is awful straight, especially considering the current Seattle preoccupation with that band. Stick with the A-side.

Side projects give folks the opportunity to explore music that their normal groups do not. Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly took this to mean he should make boring music on the first Will album. I'm not sure what the other two members of this project were doing, but it wasn't terribly interesting.

On this EP, however, things have changed. Will is still nowhere near FLA aggression levels, but as dancey mood music it is rather nice. I admit it: I listen to early Neil Diamond at times (my girlfriend just can't understand it). This may be a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure it is nonetheless.

Various Artists
Death... Is Just the Beginning II
(Relapse-Nuclear Blast)

Like you could pass this up. 21 tracks from some of the finest death metal and grindcore acts in the world. This disc shows just how fucking amazing the lineup is on these labels. Moving from track to track, your brain is slowly pulverized into a hypnotized mush. Twenty-one fucking great songs! How can you resist?