UNDEATH – More Insane

vote
7.5

• Bands:
  UNDEATH
• Duration: 00:33:43
• Available from: 04/10/2024
• Label:

• Prosthetic Records

Streaming not yet available

Undeath return with “More Insane”, their third studio album, and prove to be one of the most coherent and rising young bands in the underground death metal scene. The American band is clearly aiming to consolidate their position in the scene with regular production and intense live activity, as evidenced by their schedule of an album every two years and an increasingly busy touring calendar. Despite this exhibition frenzy, Undeath however continue to maintain the quality of their music at rather high levels, once again managing to combine a certain catchiness with a touch of technicality, for a harmonious and at the same time vaguely angular mix which has now become the their trademark.
“More Insane”, produced in collaboration with Mark Lewis (Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Monstrosity), therefore fits perfectly into the discussion begun with the previous “Lesions of a Different Kind” and “It's Time…. To Rise from the Grave”, continuing relentlessly along the path of a death metal which, without losing itself in excessive experimentation or flights of fancy (but at the same time without settling on too simplistic solutions), almost always manages to involve and entertain from the first bars .
In a panorama where many groups seek a twist at all costs or take refuge in sounds that are sometimes too cryptic and abstract, Undeath carry out their vigorous line, choosing to maintain an overall 'popular' approach, but not trivial for this reason.
Theirs is now identifiable as “stadium” death metal, designed to be played live and to ensure that the audience has fun and is overwhelmed by the energy it transmits. This, however, obviously does not mean that it entirely lacks complexity or subtlety. The band's strength actually lies in its ability to create memorable riffs, as already happened in previous works, but with a touch of technicality punctually called to infuse a pinch of extra character to the plots. It is an approach that also in this circumstance brings to mind above all Cannibal Corpse with Corpsegrinder on the microphone, masters of combining structure and complexity in a not too ostentatious way. Undeath clearly refer to this school of thought, managing to construct pieces that, despite being relatively accessible, always hide a certain obliquity, an unexpected twist that keeps the listener's attention alive until the last second. A good example of this is the structure of the songs which, on paper, might appear more direct, but which always hide a rather ingenious twist or slip within them, just as happens in modern Cannibal Corpse classics such as “Make Them Suffer” or “Priests of Sodom”, where supporting riffs and chorus always have their weight, but without ever being reduced to the flattest linearity.
If there is a merit that must be recognized by Undeath it is therefore their intuition in having found their own niche in a genre where often even among the new generation there is a certain tendency to always pay homage to the usual styles. It's certainly not a revolutionary band, but their approach to death metal that mixes brutality and a certain amount of accessibility is managing to carve out a space of its own. The formula works and is fun to listen to, as demonstrated in this case by episodes such as the title track, “Disputatious Malignancy” or “Bones Clattering in the Cave”, so-called highlights of a work that probably marks the most complete album of the band's career. band, not only for the stylistic coherence, but also for the care in the sound performance.
A chapter that fans of the quintet should not miss, especially for its live potential.