Has 2008 been a great year for death metal so far or what? There’s something for everyone; old school goodness of Hail of Bullets, Dismember, Unleashed. Deranged and Grave, newcomers like Dead Congregation and Detrimentum as well as bands like Hate Eternal, Decrepit Birth and Origin pushing the limits of technicality and brutality. Add to that list The Netherlands’ Prostitute Disfigurement, who with a subtle shift in style from their thrashy death metal meets ultra schlock-y gore grind vocals that I last heard on Deeds of Derangement, have delivered a very impressive slab of polished, but menacing and tightly wound Floridian death metal.

With a new vocal approach akin to Brutality’s Scott Reigel as well as a similar guitar approach, PD have found a sound that has left some of their thrash sound behind as well as over the top gore/porn themes in favor of a more traditional death metal visage, and they do it very, very well with a delivery and visceral tightness that was found in the likes of early Monstrosity, Deicide and Malevolent Creation.

That being said, when listening to Descendants of Depravity, other than Brutality, the overall vibe I get is that this album basically sounds like what I wanted the new Aborted, Deicide and Kataklysm albums to sound like if they had been merged in a giant The Fly-like genetic morphing machine. There’s demonic but understandable dual vocals, some very clinical, relentless blast beats (“The Sadist King And The Generallissimo Of Pain”, pretty much all the songs at some point), some huge grooves (“Fatal Fornication”) and some solos so melodic that you’d Ralph Santolla (Deicide, Obituary, etc) had performed them. (“In Sanity Concealed”, “Storm of the Fiend”, “Carnal Rapture”, “Sworn Degeneracy”)-all of it wrapped in a top notch Morrissound sounding production.

When backed by drummer Michiel van der Plicht (Katafalk), the end result is a surprisingly good album I had little expectations for, but an album that I ended up really liking and an album that continue the good run that the Neurotic/Willowtip deal has had thus far. It’s a pity that the band allegedy broke up after releasing this album, as I see them making much more of a dent on the scene.

[Visit the band's website]

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