Trog - Horrors Beyond (2024)

With a moniker like Trog, you'd probably expect knuckle dragging, primitive slam death metal, and for short bursts of Horrors Beyond, they have you covered. But in truth, this full-length debut (after a pair of EPs) from the Jersey brutes is surprisingly varied, with something to offer fans of numerous death metal niches. It's definitely rooted in the brutal death metal of the earlier 90s, with clear Cannibal Corpse parallels, but they'll also hurl an unexpected, sticky melody in your direction, or drop out of the burst of violent speed into one of those aforementioned slam grooves which seems primed for the pit. Where it can get punishing and intense, as if you were beating yourself with a brick at high speeds, there is always a solid songwriting structure which makes for a really well balanced listen.

Lots of highlights abound. "Horrors Beyond" itself has this lurching, Morbid Angel-like groove deep in the bridge where this nasty harmonies erupt alongside the vocals while the drums continue to batter along. "Ritual Corpse Division" has some clinical melodies deep in its belly which help offset the roiling double kick rhythms and evil tremolo picked rhythms that alternate into a thrashing gallop. "Eviscerate the Advanced" is highly melodic and glorious before it starts to groove out, and you can hear that bass guitar bouncing off beneath. "Interstellar Offal Dealer" is like Cannibal Corpse meets Bloodbath. The bridge of "Ontological Shock" takes you by surprise with the charging melodic death metal sequence and some synth-lines that work well to accompany it. Not only do they cover such a span of material in a great, compact 33 minute experience, but you get the impression they are only starting to tap into what full potential they have as musicians.

The rhythm tone is murky, saturated but still very clear and choppy, and I mentioned I like the springy sound of the bass, the insane drum performance, but I'd also draw attention to the vocals of Pete Colucci which cover all the bases from formidable, punctual gutturals to protracted snarls and growls. The cover makes this one look a little cheesy (in a good way), but the lyrics here are actually well thought out. They incorporate plenty of the brutal imagery to go along with the performances, but you can tell someone sat down and put some effort into them. Really, what we have here is an impressive USDM band that can hang with a whole lot of better-known peers, and while none of the individual components of this are original by any means, the way they are assembled here is a refreshing, punishing exhibition of well-sculpted carnage.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://trogdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/album/horrors-beyond