If anyone, anyone, was expecting anything other than brutal death metal from an album called Crypts, Coffins, Corpses released by a band called Meathook then there’s something wrong with them. Not that there’s nothing wrong with the twisted brains of this Phoenix, Arizona 5-piece. Anyone who can come up with this kind of sickening, abrasive, savage assault must have a screw loose.
Looking up some history on the band, they seem to have been a four-piece for a while. The new album sees the addition of Elliot Thomas on bass, so Meathook now consists of three brothers plus two outsiders. They’ve seen some success on the extreme scene since 2008’s Infernal Torture and the more recent Facing Deformity. Given the sheer force present on this new album, this doesn’t surprise me. Think Cannibal Corpse, but not quite so delicate, and you’ve got half an idea of how much this is going to hurt.
Meathook have the perfect combination of belting rhythms and buzzsaw guitars, paired with vocals which range from harsh to guttural to very harsh and very guttural. Well, it’s that kind of music. Even when the tempo drops a bit, you just feel as if you’re being violated, but when the speed rises and the blast beats kick in… woah. What we have here is a 31-minute definition of “brutal”.
Highlights? The title track is a doozy and closer “Coils of Entrails” is a brilliant way to round off the album. It’s actually one of the strongest tracks on here and if anything’s going to make you loop back to “Awaiting Torment”, it’s that final number.
Crypts, Coffins, Corpses does exactly what it says on the battered, bloodstained tin.
