I have an unequivocal love for themed Death Metal bands. VHS, Fulci, Fluids, Satanic Tea Company and Surfin Bird Death Metallers Kólga. I mean, yeah there’s Alestorm but they’re sort of becoming a ‘party, party, drink, drink’ band like Steel fucking Panther and less fun than when they were keelhauling motherfuckers instead of getting plowed with them…

Anyway, you get the point. I’m obsessed, but then I could be obsessed about worse things like whose fucking who in Washington; so there’s that. My current obsession is a little band from Lima, Ohio called A La Carte who play charcuterie tray perfect Death Metal; grilled baby fingers and all. They’ve been around since 2018 and their Tastless Tastings Demo in 2020 was followed by full-length Soup Dejour in 2022.

Now, fresh off the production line and Recorded at Phaze Studios in Dayton, OH. Mixed and mastered by Rylie Ellen Wechta (Guttural Secrete) at Sound Horizon Studios in Las Vegas, NV. This is a twelve track menu of Organic 100% American Death Metal.

“Born to Entertain” kicks this extravagant feast of spoiled meat and fly encrusted piles of poultry. The opening riffing is tight as fuck and it’s sort of a Cannibal Corpse swarming purulent shredder at one point, but then it’s countered with banshees screaming the next minute. It’s a bit of a Broken Hope-style stomper with some Morbid Angel for pepper and salt, respectively. Some more tasty Cannibal Corpse pinch harmonies and it just keeps hitting you like food poisoning.

This trio comprised of Chef Highman- drums, Chef Cuck-Guitars, Bass, Vocals and The Maitre ‘d-vocals; have their chops in order and on next track “Choice Cuts” we’re treated to a baby crying before shit gets underway. This bad motherfucker plows forward with some Dying Fetus level riffing while the drums blast with nuclear intensity. Now how about those baby fingers fries?

“Ashtray Souffle” has a sample of Bill Paxton from Weird Science and his dirty ashtray line, when it hits in the context of the album it’s hilarious and works perfectly. It’s a dirty little glob of molded sour cream that’s as thick as the guitar tone rocketing along with the blasting drums. “Chamber Pot Pie” is a short track at 2:58 and that’s ok because it’s a chaotic little bastard, another Dying Fetus-style rumbler with an infectious main riff. “Beef Stroakenoff” has a Necrophagist ring to it and this whacky riff that just makes me smile with glee and there are random samples of ‘beef, it’s what’s for dinner’ tossed about. “Bulimic Beetle Bile Buillion” has some trippy phased-out guitar intro before the track locks into a slow groove with intermittent blasts thrown in for spice.

“Gluttonous Maximus” is another one of those Carcass dual vocal tracks and they do this cool thing where the guitars match up with the movie samples. The ending of the track is sort of a Morbid Angel-esque Kingdoms Disdained vibe with more tasty pinch harmonies, “Maxi Pad Thai” is a pile driving blaster, but with a sick as fuck intro riff and it’s built on some more sick as fuck drum work, it’s one of my favorite tracks not just because of the song title but the structure of the song is fucking killer. “Terrormisu” has a really interesting structure and some Pestilence-ish jazzy moments with a splash of Cynic. It surges forward like a flood of Molasses, which is fucking great.

“Deconstructed part 1” and it’s companion track “Deconstructed part 2” are the final tracks and they’re fucking beautiful with Part 1 being a light instrumental ending with crowd applause and the Part 2 second half is a pummeling, meat mallet with jackhammer precision.

There’s a lot going on with this gory buffet. It’s punchy; benefitting greatly from that sexy production I mentioned earlier. There’s moments where Morbid Angel meets Carcass and even some Basement Torture Killings style riffs come creeping in. This really is a smorgasbord of Death Metal tasty, blood soaked goodness. Get it!

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments