Blood, gore and a whole lot of new music to accompany the mayhem
Film soundtracks rarely cater to metal fans, and even when they do, it’s usually a case of a couple of mildly interesting tracks in amongst a whole host of songs that otherwise have little or nothing to do with the film itself (which means they’re really nothing more than a just another compilation effort). But in the case of horror/gore film Afterparty Massacre (directed by Incantation drummer Kyle Severn and Horrormerch founder Kristoff Bates), the soundtrack not only has everything to do with the film, but it’s also exclusively aimed at those who love their metal in the death/grindcore vein.
After a short sound sample from the film itself (Stairway to Hell), the soundtrack gets underway with the title track Afterparty Massacre - the first offering from the reactivated Denial Fiend in more than four years. New vocalist Blaine ‘Fart’ Cook (Toe Tag/ex-The Accüsed) adds a bit more of a punk edge to the band’s sound up front, but their core death/thrash sound (provided by ex-Massacre guitarist Sam Williams, Obituary/Massacre/Six Feet Under/Death bassist Terry Butler and D.R.I. drummer Rob Rampy) remains intact in all its aggressive/groovy glory.
Not surprisingly, Incantation also has something new to offer up, with both a studio version and a live version of the album’s first single Absolved In Blood. While it’s nothing too different from what you would otherwise expect from the veteran death metal act, it is a solid track, and one that fans will certainly find worthy.
Ibex Moon Records act Estuary offer up a new cut of bludgeoning death metal with Impulse Imprint (which is good, if a little lifeless), while Gravehill take on AC/DC’s classic If You Want Blood in what is a rather loose thrashing/death ‘n’ roll way that’s typical of what you would expect from the band.
Goreaphobia impress with their brutal sounding Organ Donor, as too do Cardiac Arrest with their two new offerings (Decomposed in No Man’s Land and Rotting Creator) and the contributions from Funerus (Reduced to Sludge) and Lifeless (Death to the Bone). But personally, the real highlights on the album come from Soulless, who offer up the thrashing/melodic death gem Bleed You Dry, Fatalist, and their cover of Death’s classic Beyond the Unholy Grave and Feral, who dish out pure death metal filth with Necrofilthiac.
Unlike a lot of soundtrack efforts, Afterparty Massacre gives listeners a collection of tunes that are not only exclusive to this release, but an album that retains its core objective from start to finish - and that’s to bludgeon the listener from start to finish with uncompromising death metal/grindcore tunes.
How Afterparty Massacre fares as a film remains to be (eagerly) seen. But in terms of its soundtrack, there’s no question that it’s absolutely bloody gory fun.
(Ibex Moon Records)
