Amputation Spree- Three/Inferno EP

Amputation Spree is a one man brutal death metal band from North Carolina. We've covered all this projects releases in the past and have heard them grow consistently over such a short period of time. Having only been around since 2010 this marks their third EP and they even managed to squeeze a split in between all of that. Even though it seems just like a blink of an eye since their last EP, the material here does not falter in anyway. In fact, it does quite the opposite.

With each release Amputation Spree's sound seems to get more epic. This EP is no different, it takes everything heard previously on Terminal Velocity and takes it to a completely new level. The tracks here just seem more focused overall. The way they are written just seems to flow much more naturally than on previous releases. The brutality the project has had in the past is still in attendance. "The Whore of Babylon" has a section that slams your brain to mush, reinstating that the music hasn't been watered down, it has just evolved. Every track actually features a moment like this, it is made certain that Amputation Spree hasn't completely abandoned it's roots.

The experimentation gets taken a couple steps further on the track "The Age of Reason". It all starts out normal, blasting your eardrums senseless for the first thirty seconds or so, and then out of nowhere things stop and everything changes so rapidly it is almost hard to digest at first. The song bounces back and forth quite a bit and never really sticks to one thing for too long. Showing off some electronic experimentation this track is definitely the most interesting of the bunch. It is clear when listening to this that if Amputation Spree ever had a comfort zone in the first place it is long gone at this point.

"Messiah" has such a gigantic sound. Built around an extremely simple structure it is honestly surprising how well this seven minute track holds up. Hands down the heaviest track that Amputation Spree has putout thus far and possibly the most infectious. This track also brings to my attention how well the drum programming works for this release. Typically if something doesn't feature a live drummer it gets on my nerves after a few listens. With that being said, in this EP's case it may actually work as a positive thing. The robotic feeling the drums give off works almost perfectly with the sound created on this release.

Overall Three/Inferno displays Amputation Spree making all the right moves. Continuing to build on the solid foundation of previous efforts there is absolutely nothing to complain about here. The sound on this EP may be an extremely different animal when compared to what we heard on Addicted to Beheading Children, but if you dig deep enough some elements are still intact. Fans of brutal death metal that aren't afraid of a little experimentation being thrown in the mix NEED this. Even those who don't typically journey into the world of slam will find this EP to be an intriguing listen to say the least. Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed.

Amputation Spree- Terminal Velocity EP

Amputation Spree is Theodore Spencer Van Dyk's brutal death metal project. Since the beginning of the bands existence releases have been flowing out at rapid pace and always deliver in terms of consistency. When most people think of brutal death it is either a love or hate relationship. Amputation Spree have managed to find that middle ground in the fact that those who hate the genre can most likely enjoy this release. With the thirteen minute runtime there is plenty here to keep the listener entertained.

There are a few sections of experimentation spread throughout this short release. These moments certainly make for an interesting listening experience. The entire first track has an odd quality going for it. For the most part it is just your typical death metal track with a bludgeoning quality to it, but the entire song the volume fades in and out. It creates an extremely weird and disorienting effect. Though it does make for an interesting listen it may, later on down the line, jeopardize the replay value of that particular track.

 The guitar playing like with previous releases focuses on the groove for the most part. An occasional melody gets incorporated into the music. An example of this would be in "Sudden Monolithic Realization Of Chaos and Suffering" right before it goes into a great solo. Aside from a few moments that have outburst of speed the majority of the album has that slow, cranium crunching pace that forces you to headbang while listening. The bass is overwhelmingly heavy on Terminal Velocity. The bass definitely adds a tremendous amount of thickness to the overall sound of the EP and hits like a haymaker with every note.

It is obvious that since the first EP Addicted To Beheading Children dropped Theodore has matured a bit musically. Each track featured on this release manages to have a very epic sound but still maintain that odd brutality that made his past material memorable. Another aspect that has improved since the split and EP is the vocal performance. While the vocals may not be quite as guttural as they used to be at times there is a greater amount of variation. Also it seems since the last release the delivery of the growls has gotten much more powerful.

Overall Terminal Velocity is a big improvement over something that was already pretty damn good. If a full-length release ever gets dropped from Amputation Spree with tracks up to par with the ones heard here, well let's just say you would probably want to hide your children. Amputation Spree is slowly becoming the best free music money can buy. Fans of brutal death metal should give this one a look, and metalheads in general who can appreciate the more extreme styles will also find this worthy of a listen.

Mild Manner Miogyny/Amputation Spree- Reservations At Dorsia Split

Here we have a split that consist of three tracks from two death metal bands. After hearing Amputation Spree's first EP it was going to be interesting to see what the band was going to do next considering that Addicted To Beheading Children had quite a few intriguing aspects working in it's favor. This split is in no way a letdown and most definitely a step in the right direction.

Mild Manner Misogyny's two track section of the split opens with a clip from American Psycho and then directly after the band comes at you with their very odd sounding brand of death metal. The guitar playing brought forth by Mild Manner Misogyny is mindbending to say the least, you never can predict what is going to happen next on either of the tracks and that is a very good quality that many bands in the genre can't seem to grasp. The acoustic interlude on "Useless to Me" was orgasmic to say the least and definitely gave the track an interesting flavor. The vocals featured here sound fairly similar to Nev of Loathsome. The highs are delivered in a wretched, filthy manner that is sure to disgust your ears in the best way possible. This is simply best described as evil death metal, MMM manages to capture a devastating atmosphere in just two tracks.

Amputation Spree's end of the split consist of one track titled "Makeshift Abortion Machine". Unlike the material on Theodore's previous EP this has a very slow sludgy sound. One of the biggest surprises on the track is the fact that the song features some clean vocals as apposed to constant grunts. Overall the track has a very epic vibe. Between the thundering bass and the crushing riffs there really isn't a thing to complain about. "Makeshift Abortion Machine" leaves the listener wanting more, one can only hope this one man juggernaut can deliver on the upcoming full-length album Fed To Pig Vomit, with a lovely title like that one can only hope for some more sickening groove.

Overall this is a killer split. It clocks in at just over ten minutes and manages to cram a great deal of memorable moments within the short time frame. If you are looking for some bass heavy death metal this is highly recommended. The Amputation Spree track is one of the chunkiest death metal tracks that comes to mind in recent memory.

Amputation Spree- Addicted to Beheading Children EP

Amputation Spree's demo Addicted To Beheading Children opens with a Dawn of the Dead clip and dives straight into some slam riffs. From the start the one and only member Theodore Spencer Van Dyk lets the listener know what they have gotten themselves into. While instrumentally for the most part this album may come across as a cookie cutter brutal death metal album the vocals certainly stand out. The only band that come to mind with a similar vocal style is Demilich. Even though the vocal delivery is very guttural and burpy it is fairly easy to decipher the lyrics which is never a bad thing. 

The guitarwork featured doesn't stray too far from your typical slamming death metal band. A decent amount of groove is used but nothing that is too infectious, this isn't to say that it is forgettable but isn't the kind of groove that will stick in your head for hours. Instead the instrumental aspect of the album is very primitive. When the solo on "Pneumatic Press Death Crush"  hits it leaves a lasting impression. This solo is definitely the standout moment in this albums eleven minute runtime.

Though the sound of real drums will never be topped by a machine the drum machine used here is used responsibly and doesn't sound ridiculous. The main thing pushing the groove on this release is the thundering bass that is backing the guitars. It really packs a deep end punch and adds to the brutality in the overall sound. All in all Addicted to Beheading Children isn't anything groundbreaking it is worth a listen. With song titles like "Hydroplaning On Human Remains" why the hell not give it a shot?