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Splatterhouse: The House That Dead Built (2007 Reissue) Brutal Death Metal, Grindcore Razorback Records, Kitchen Vomit Records (2007) July 2nd, 2004
Originally posted on January 17th, 2010 | ||
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Review
Taking their name from the infamous video game series of the same name, Splatterhouse bring us a rather impressive, if not very overlooked Death Metal and Grindcore release. The House That Dead Built is crafted to give off a very crushing sound with a horror/b-movie feel to it, and pulls it all off perfectly with it's heavy guitars, well paced drumming and vocals swapping between gutteral to a higher rhasp. But, does this release have what it takes for repeat listens, or is this something that you're going to look to get rid of rather quickly after a few spins? Musically, The House That Dead Built is spectacular. The heavy and grim sound of the music is enough to engross any metal fan in their favorite b-movie's atmosphere. Anyone who happens to be a very devout fan of Death Metal may notice that the band takes heavy influence from the act Impaled for their music, in fact it's actually pretty close to something that band would do, except for the added Grindcore elements that work perfectly with the intense and often very fast paced guitar chords. The best example of this would be the track "Mutilator", which manages to swap between the two seemlessly, but mostly noticable at the very end, concluding with a very intense and very brief breakdown. To add to the urge to break out some popcorn while you mosh is the use of samples from various horror films, as well as two clips from the animated science fiction comedy Futurama on the track "Warmest Place to Hide", that either reflect the entire song, or parts of it. There's really nothing too harsh to say about this release. While it's not a bad album at all, infact it's very addictive, there are just moments where you'll wish there was no Grindcore element at that moment and they have just done a bridge that better reflected the moment of the song. "Confessions of a Grove Robber" has a nice flowing song with some killer guitar riffs and hooks, and then the band will belt into a Grindcore blast-beat that works with the song, but ultimately makes you wish they had just kept the more intense music like they did with the track "Coffin Birth" at the end and how intense it all is. The only other thing worth mentioning is the track "Warmest Place to Hide" which really jumps around musically and changes up quite often. This is not necessarily a downfall, but changes are you'll need a few listens to truly enjoy it. 2007 Reissue: There's absolutely nothing different about the reissue aside a different color scheme to the cover artwork and a different interior layout. Basically the album was sold from a more known label to a much newer underground one due to the original pressing through Razorback Records being out of print. The only issue here is that, clearly, the album is only being carried through certain distributors, select MP3 retailers, as well as the label's on-line store. Aside a few change ups in music you'll wish the band didn't utilize, as well as a rather annoying, yet very suiting outro of many flies buzzing around, The House That Dead Built is a very well done album that will have you head banging from start to finish. The music is absolutely intense with matching brutal, if not sometimes cheesy, lyrics and samples. This all works in the band's favor since there isn't really anything new or original about them or their music. If you happen to get the check out this release, it's very much worth it. The House That Dead Built is an intense Death Metal and Grindcore romp that will make you want to start punching the nearest living thing, and will also give you some much required repeat play time with,making it a great listen for that random rainy day.
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