Sentenced 2 Die - Parasitic Infection (2023)

I won't promise you that Parasitic Infection is some extinction level event for the bro-core death metal scene of the 2020s, but this record is super fun nonetheless and a notable improvement over Sentenced 2 Die's 2021 EP in every single department. It keeps some of that hardcore influence intact, but is more than willing to ramp up the 'pure' death metal feel, to take a few chances, and more often to me this feels like a proper, well-written, low-tech slamming DM record that occasionally remembers where it came from rather than a metalcore or deathcore band earnestly trying to 'legitimize' or brutalize itself, not that bands from that scene need to do so, but you get the point. And this record gives ME the point, repeatedly, stabbing and bludgeoning me with its huge grooves, great production and much more memorable material.

"Canopy of Intestines" was one of my favorite death metal tunes of 2023, with its simple but creepy melodies and evil breakdowns, while "Bestial Deformity" took me completely by surprise with the addition of the ominous clean vocals that chant over its depths. The Minnesotans clearly sat down together and decided that what came before wasn't enough, that there was so much more musical quality they could wring from this slamming, basic style, and they accomplished such. The bass tone here is much mightier, bouncing along with a little more personality from the awesome crunch of the rhythm guitars, so they feel more like individual instruments even if the lines go in the same direction. The drums are also much clearer and you can make out the thunder from the fills. Vocalist Dave Sikorski uses the same guttural attack as the debut, but it's better fleshed out here, a little more abrupt and not just hovering in the midst of the musical weight, and when he flashes out some carnal snarl it's pretty effective.

But the production itself might be the star, with everything so heavy and loud and battering that it nearly blew out the windows on our Honda Fit. The album is also quite concise at around 24 minutes, so even if some of the tunes don't really throw out a truly impressive riff or surprise they go about their business quickly, and there's a sweet acoustic interlude right in the middle to let you take a breath before they crush your fucking face again. The leads aren't exactly a major feature of their style yet, but in some tunes like "Splattered on Pavement" they are making the attempt, and since elsewhere they already show their aptitude for nailing a good melody or harmony, this is a good space for further evolution of their sound. Parasitic Infection goes so much further than the EP in presenting the 'total package' of modern death that acknowledges its roots, and if you're into stuff like the grooves off the last couple Dying Fetus records, this is a lot of fun.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

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Sentenced 2 Die - No Reason to Live EP (2021)

Sentenced 2 Die are fairly fresh meat in that hybrid scene of death metal hardcore/beatdown acts, but they're already showing a steady increase in songwriting potential beyond some of their competitors. No Reason to Live was an independently released EP, clocking in at under 11 minutes, which showcased their potential, and was enough to land the group a deal with the fitting Maggot Stomp imprint, and it's a solid pairing since this material is likely to please fans of comparable acts. I'd say that Ohio's Sanguisugabogg is a pretty close style to this, other than the lyrical themes, which don't skew here to the same humorous or perverse level, but more a degree of traditional horror/nihilism and social issues. The four tracks here are a little rough around the edges, but sort of like those earlier Creeping Death EPs, there's an appreciable, ominous bludgeoning vibe that works.

The formula is fairly simple, focused in on slower grooving riffs that are interspersed with tremolo picking, double bass bombardments and a lot of low-end heaviness, reinforced by the rather deep and often monotonous guttural that creates its own atmosphere not above, but burrowed within the rumbling instruments. The rhythm guitar tone is tight but saturated in the fat bass, so they almost combine into one unified blunt force that bounces cautiously up and down like your body hitting and skipping off the pavement in slow-mo. The guitars pop and squeal, little measures of brutality that keep the thick riffs a little more involved than they might have been, but the centerpiece is almost always the walls of mosh pit chugging as in "Life Devoured" where you can just feel the growling erupting about a foot over the pit, bodies flailing around you as they ninja windmill or whatever the fuck kids call it these last few decades.

Hasn't been my scene since the 90s, but even I feel motivated to move when I hear some of these grooves, just because of the enormous production emphasis. However, the sheer heaviness here is just not enough, and I feel like these songs weren't developed with much thought or intricacy, rather to establish the band as a steady steamroller and please a crowd. It's effective enough when you're in its grasp, but there's little to nothing memorable about this material, especially when placing it up against the vastly superior debut full-length to follow. That said, No Reason to Live lays enough groundwork that you can tell if this is something you're going to relate to, and if you're into a lot of the other caveman death metal mavens on this label, this might land for you more than it did for me, as I was more into some of the other EPs by the peers I mentioned above.

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10]

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