01. The Dover Demon
02. Monrovia, LR 1990
03. Vipers At The Pony Keg
04. Rat Lung-Worm
05. Огромный Кальмар (Ross Sea Trawler)
06. AquaGenesis
07. Perverse Termination (Bulb Of Force)
08. Bug Sounds II (Megascolides australis)
09. Sacral Brain
10. The Ochopee Skunk Ape
While cavernous, doom-ladden, old-school death metal might not be that original anymore, Dipygus create an extremely enjoyable experience for those listeners who wish to be “ritually dismembered”.
Dipygus are a Californian band who specialize in savage, old-school death metal. Their third studio album, speckled with audio samples concerning Neanderthals, Bigfoot, and the Yeti, takes a swampy, putrid route that, on my first couple of listens, gave me an odd feeling of deja vu. I’d heard this combination of primitive thuds and chugs in some other band before. Well, the topic of violent Neanderthals had been covered by Neoandertals before, although Dipygus’s vocals are slihhtly more comprehendible and the instrumentation is less experimental. In terms of stifling, buzzsaw guitar droning, there was always the legendary Entombed as a comparison. Yet, it was some other band on the tip of my tongue.
And then it hit me. Those gnarly guitar riffs backed by groovy bass lines. Whining guitar solos thrown in to add an off-kilter vibe to the oppressively murky atmosphere. Thunderous, tribal drum beats resounding as raspy growls speak of asphyxiation, dismembermemt, and the like. It all sounds so much like Autopsy’s Mental Funeral! Therefore, other than the fact that I’ve never heard a metal song mention Bigfoot before, Dipygus lack some points in the originality department. Still, you don’t have to reinvent the genre to make good music. And Dipygus is definitely good music.
On this album, the band go from mid-tempo rhythm spiced up by unnerving clean guitar to extremely intense pummeling and wild soloing. But it’s not all senseless aggression. After the surprisingly melodic guitar-work transitions to a cacophonous conclusion on “Ross Sea Trawler”, the subsequent track titled “Bug Sounds II” provides an instrumental of disgusting squelching noises and eerie synth-work. My favorite song on this album is the 11-minute-long “Sacral Brain”, where the band display slow, ominous doom death interspersed with faster, aggressive bursts. Overall, the guitar playing is very effective, alternating between heavy plodding, rapid frenzy, and unsettling melody.
As a worthy successor to Autopsy’s doom-ridden death metal, the claustrophobic atmosphere of Dipygus leaves the listener entranced and trapped, as if a captive of some vile pagan ritual in the depths of a forgotten jungle—a scenario, perhaps, taking place within the album’s cover art. As you lie there, tied to that ancient stone monolith, the intoxicating noise of Dipygus pummels your senses. You squirm as the drums rattle and the guitars squeal. At the echoing sound of devilish growls, you meet the gaze of those brutish primates baring their fangs in malevolent grins, eagerly awaiting their next meal. Neanderthals were master butchers, after all.
 | Written on 25.02.2024 by The sign of good music is the ability to both convey and trigger emotion. |