Undeath – More Insane
Release Date: 4th October 2024
Label: Prosthetic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Cannibal Corpse, Frozen Soul, Necrot, Skeletal Remains.
Review By: Eric Wilt
While there are numerous bands out there playing death metal of the highest quality, Undeath has always stuck out to me as the band that is primed to be the next big thing in the genre. With their old-school aesthetic, their ability to write sick songs that stick in your brain, and their charismatic stage presence, I figured It’s Time…to Rise from the Grave would catapult them into the death metal stratosphere. And while the album garnered much media acclaim and led to Undeath embarking on their first headlining tour, not to mention all the significant shows and festivals they’ve played along the way, I still don’t think they’re as big as they are poised to be. With More Insane, I think their time is finally here.
If I’m sounding like a fanboy, it’s for good reason. The Rochester, NY death unit’s third full length is brimming with aggressively brutal music played at the highest level by guitarists Kyle Beam and Jared Welch, bassist Tommy Wall, and drummer Matt Browning, with disgusting lyrics spewed by one of the top vocalists in the game these days, Alexander Jones. The songs on More Insane are filled with frenzied riffing (Brandish the Blade and Disattachment of a Prophylactic in the Brain), grim groove (More Insane), gruesome lyrics (Cramped Caskets [Necrology] and Wailing Cadaver), and bombastic heaviness (Bounty Hunter and Bones Clattering). With so many standout songs, More Insane will surely wind up at the top of many an album-of-the-year lists.
And while Undeath’s bleeding hearts are stuck firmly in the old school, they brought along Mark Lewis to co-produce, mix and master the album with a focus on modern sound quality. Where It’s Time…to Rise from the Grave had that cavernous atmospheric that makes it feel as if it’s truly being played in a tomb, Lewis brought a clean, crisp sound that highlights the instrumentation and nuances of each song even better. According to vocalist Jones, “We wanted it to be bigger, brighter, and clearer—the kind of record that doesn’t lose any of its clarity when you turn it way the f**k up.” In fact, it’s one of the best sounding death metal albums to come out in quite a while.
With More Insane, Undeath has raised their own bar for top-shelf death metal in the 2020s. And while death metal isn’t exactly a competition, the stalwarts of the old guard better watch their backs because Undeath is coming, and this time they’re More Insane.
(4.5 / 5)
