FESTERDAY "iihtallan"

FESTERDAY

"iihtallan"

This nasty jolt of rotgut swill will give you a kick if you like filthy death metal but in no way can it be compared to anything healthy or uplifting. I just about spit out my beer when I saw the song title "Your Saliva, My Vagina".  Hands down the stupidest song title of the year, if not in many years. And shouldn't it be the other way around? Maybe Festerday are getting in touch with their feminine side.

These Finns make no bones about their love of old Carcass, Finnish/Swedish death metal and even a touch of old Autopsy. They do a slavish imitation of those classic influences and for the most part, it works. But you don't get one iota more than you expect from this and that keeps it from being great. They do nail the gnarly guitar tone down to the last sickening note...it is very much an early 90's production. There is rotting grindcore in "Kill Your Truth", "Flower of Bones" and the ripping "Gravelove". There's also some oozing, doomy murk in tunes such as "Dreaming for the Dead" and "Into The Void". They even toss in some clearly black metal riffing in "Let Me Entertain Your Entrails" (another song title that rivals "Your Saliva, My Vagina" for stupidity and one that is reprised here in an even rawer demo version). Some of this stuff really breaks your bones, some of it just flies by without making a mark. By the end of the album, my interest was starting to wane but admittedly, Festerday never once ease up on the brutality.

This will certainly do in a pinch if you like the ugly side of death metal, but this isn't yet what you could call a transcendent album. And just what the heck is "iihtallan", anyway?

SEASON OF MIST

FESTERDAY