Impure Violation is an Australian brutal death metal band that has been around since 2012, but it wasn’t until the release of their latest album, Knee Deep in the Dead, that they came to my attention. What makes this one stand out is that it’s a concept album based on the first two Doom games as well as the official add-on No Rest for the Living. No Plutonia, though. Perhaps they can save that material for their next release. I’m going to assume everyone reading this is already familiar with Doom, so I’m not going to waste any time explaining how incredible and influential it is. I’m just surprised metal bands haven’t composed songs about the game until recently.
The production places extra emphasis on the bass, which makes the rest of the music sound crushing. The drums are played by Alexey Mamontov. He plays many of the slow and simple slam beats that any fan of the genre would expect, but he makes things more interesting by including rapid thumping double bass. There are plenty of moments when he throws in some raging double bass, and the snare hits hard throughout.
One aspect that makes this album stand out from the rest is that it features a wide cast of guest vocalists. They are: Larry Wang of Coprocephalic and Gorepot, Jason Lambert of Human Barbecue and Putrefied J, Nikhil Talwalkar of Anal Stabwound, Angel Ochoa of Cephalotripsy, Floor van Kuijk of Carnifloor, and Tarren Whitfield of Entrails Eradicated. One would think having this many vocalists one on album would be a recipe for disaster, too many cooks and all of that. However, each vocalist has a different type of growl which gives a unique flavor to every song, and this wonderful variety keeps the album compelling.
The guitars are mostly played by frontman Ewza Lambert, but he is also joined by Stewart Lambert. Their simple slam riffs sound excellent, and if you listen closely, you can hear riffs from the original Doom games, most notably on “Halls of the Damned”. Aside from these, they also play dark palm-muted riffs and sinister tremolo riffs, as well as some chilling chord progressions like those on the title track. They are also joined by Corpseflesh and Omnioid member Sam Marwick, who plays some amazing solos on tracks 1, 4, and 6. They help make the music sound more frantic and crazed, as well as add a bit of vibrant melody.
A project of this size is extremely hard to coordinate, but they pulled it off and the final product is fantastic. Knee Deep in the Dead is one of the best brutal death metal albums ever made, a colossal collaborative effort that pays tribute to one of the greatest video games of all time. Listen for yourself and be amazed by its brutality.