- Country: United States
- Style: Death metal
- Label: Relapse Records
- Release date: 17 April 2015
Matt Harvey calls Gruesome “a super nerdy fan letter” to Death, and there is no point pretending otherwise. Savage Land sounds like the great lost record between Leprosy and Spiritual Healing: same guitar tone, same chord shapes, same Chuck-style shrieks. Ed Repka even painted the cover. The question is not whether it is original – it proudly isn’t – but whether the songs hold up. Mostly, they do.
The title track kicks off with a drum turnaround you will recognise within two bars, and “Trapped in Hell” is so shamelessly derivative it becomes a joke you are in on – and it still rips. “Hideous” is the best song here, all harmonised leads and twisting mid-section, and on “Closed Casket” James Murphy turns up for a guest solo, which feels like a blessing from the original family. Eight songs, no filler, no wasted minutes. Pure worship, executed with real love and real chops.
Best tracks:
Savage Land
Trapped in Hell
Hideous
Closed Casket
Author’s rating: 7.9/10
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