Death metal band Sanguisugabogg release their second full-length album, the aptly titled Homicidal Ecstasy.

From Columbus, Ohio, Sanguisugabogg formed just a few years back. I first saw them last year on their swing with Nile and the thundering Texas metal band I Am. They were supporting their first long-player then, Tortured Whole. The performance was fantastic, and, at the time, I hadn’t heard much of their music. I remedied my ignorance and have since been looking forward to this new record. It turns out Homicidal Ecstasy is even better than I thought it would be. The band is Cody Davidson (drums), Drew Arnold (guitar, bass), Devin Swank (vocals), and Ced Davis (guitar, bass).

The album begins with the horrifyingly titled “Black Market Vasectomy.” The tone of the song is deep and dark, crusty and musty. It is like being raked by a rusting, crooked blade. The percussion is blasting, the vocals are croaking, and the aggression is palpable. “Face Ripped Off” sounds even more actively violent, but in a way has a relatively casual demeanor. Like a confident killing machine, it goes about its business. This is grisly death metal, and nothing less. “Pissed” is a steamroller of a song that pushes your face in the dirt and keeps pushing. “Testicular Rot” … doesn’t that title create an image in your head before the first note even lands? The song is not reassuring in any way. It gives you a heavy, drowning-in-mud feeling from beginning to end. And then comes “Hungry For Your Insides,” a ninety-one second lesson in attraction.

It was at this point in the listening that I noticed my breath had become labored. There is no turning back, and you shouldn’t even if you could. The music is punishingly heavy, the kind of thing you will come to expect from Sanguisugabogg as you listen to them more and more. Embrace the intellectual dissonance of “A Lesson in Savagery” and the perplexing rhythmic construction of “Proclamation Of The Frail.” The final song is “Feening for Bloodshed,” and I had to look up what the word means – it means wanting something really badly, as in craving. Craving bloodshed, you might say, or demanding it, even. Having just listened to the track, it checks out. This album is heavy, killer death metal. Go get it. Highly recommended.

Homicidal Ecstasy is out on Friday, February 3^rd through Century Media Records. Look over the format options at the label link below.

Band photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Band website, https://sanguisugabogg.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/sanguisugabogg/

Century Media, https://centurymedia.store/dept/sanguisugabogg

© Wayne Edwards