Review Summary: Grab that popcorn and encore the gore....
The assortment of B-movie horror films and cheap liquor brings along its fair share of thrills. Any respected fan of the genre can attest to this long running, if at times tiresome, thematic barrage of violence and exploitative themes. Whether you’re on board with the over-the-top wankery or not, one thing is for certain; this type of material is never in short supply. No better genre of music than death metal could colorfully depict this type of cinema. In retrospect, this combination presents the same type of tom-foolery and Frediablo’s side project
Gorelord is no stranger to the craft. This primitive, yet effective offering that is the 'Norwegian Chainsaw Massacre: The Final Cut' is a powerful homage to some of the best cheese ball material brought forth from Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, Ruggero Deodato, etc.
Yes, this one-man metal project is not the only band to tackle this type of material. It’s easy to find groups under every unturned rock regurgitating the same meaningless jargon. Still, what sets Gorelord apart from the rest is the mere subtleties of the song structures and quick movie samples added for good measure. Opening track ‘Outback Part II’ sets the tempo perfectly with its slow, southern-esque guitar line as low bass drum beats are queued in, adding some restrained thickness to the melody. Metal opener ‘Dying and Dreaming’, with its chainsaw revved intro and crunchy, dirty guitar play gets things rolling on the right foot. Grimy production values add to the atmospheric crunch as the low end grunts and growls from Fred boasts that of an early George Romero offering. It’s the third track ‘All Hail the Gods of Horror’ that’s a clear testament and salute to the aforementioned parties. This is easily the strongest track and presents some of the catchiest guitar work on the album.
As far as song structures are concerned much of these songs might have a tendency to run together a bit on the first listen. ‘Man Of ***’, although a bit trite with its nu-metal, mid-marker vocal lines, does break up the monotony for those a bit worn out with the traditional death metal trends and provides yet another abundance of brittle, tasty guitar riffs. This formula continues into ‘Deathbreed’ and ‘Hammered’ providing some quirky samples adding quick-witted hilarity to the down-tuned carnage. Rest assured, these samples aren’t displayed to over-saturate the album (see all albums from
KillWhitneydead). They merely add to the cheap, yet inviting stage presence.
The remainder of the album seems to present an even darker and more archaic production value to the material. Instrumental ‘The Rising of the Undead’ presents some slow, doom-plodding guitar riffs that paint a blood-red picture of zombie hordes slowly creeping over sullied landscapes. (See Fulci’s Zombie) ‘The Glorification of Violence’ presents some of the most varied vocal arrangements on the album. As far as lyrical content….well, I think the listener can fill in the blanks in that department. Album closer ‘The Final Cut’ provides a fitting, calm conclusion to the album with its moody soundscapes. Still at over twelve minutes, it’s ultimately unessential.
Again, while the album does have the tendency to run together, 'Norwegian Chainsaw Massacre' offers a refreshing product in the death metal genre. Fans of
Cannibal Corpse,
Deranged,
Grimfist,
Necrophagia, etc. will find enjoyment in this. If you are turned off by any of the above recommendations but still have an appreciation for cheap splatter flicks, it won’t hurt to jump on board that exploitative gravy train.
4.1/5
