Austria once had a strange, grotesque pride in
its death metal heritage. In the late 80s and early 90s, groups like Pungent Stench, Disharmonic
Orchestra, and Miasma carved their
names into the underground with albums that were both disgusting and brilliant.
After that short but glorious eruption, the Austrian scene went quiet for
decades. Now, out of Vienna, Fessus has
returned to dig up that old corpse and make it twitch again. Founded in 2023 by
the Australian musician Brenton and his
local bandmates Jana, Thomas, and Gumpf,
the band made a promising start with the demo "Pilgrims Of
Morbidity". Two years later, they’ve delivered their first full-length,
"Subcutaneous Tomb", and it’s an ugly, infectious triumph of rot.
"Subcutaneous
Tomb" is heavy in a way that stinks of damp crypts and decayed tissue. Fessus plays death metal that doesn’t rely on
endless speed, instead preferring slow and mid-tempo parts that drag the
listener through the muck, interrupted by sudden bursts of violence. The music
has that old European rancid flavor, with traces of Autopsy’s
slime and the cavernous Finnish sound of Purtenance,
but the result is distinct and personal. The riffs are memorable, packed with
that kind of groove that crawls into your head, and the drumming gives every
section a thick pulse that keeps everything grimly alive.
Each song has
its own infected charm, from the suffocating crawl of “Pointless Anguish” to
the haunting “Cries From The Ether”. The band clearly values memorability over
technical showmanship, and that choice gives "Subcutaneous Tomb" a
strong personality. It’s the kind of death metal that sticks to the ribs, ugly,
primitive, and catchy in a diseased way.
With this
debut, Fessus have managed to pull Austrian
death metal out of the grave and make it breathe foul air again.
"Subcutaneous Tomb" doesn’t sound nostalgic, it sounds alive in its
own decay. Anyone who craves the old stench of true death metal will find this
a deeply satisfying listen.
Score: 8.0
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