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Oozing Wound - Earth Suck

Oozing Wound is a Chicago based three piece, who play the most unrelentingly in your face and miserablist crossover thrash metal, you could imagine. A complete treat for metal heads! On this their second album, Earth Suck, there are also some intriguing musical elements you might not expect from a thrash combo, that just add to the allure of the musical path these guys have set out on so determinedly.

Going Through the Motions Till I Die opens the album, and sets the bar high. The thumping drums and low-end fuzzy bass combine with some gargantuan riffing, to produce a completely exhilarating musical ride. Zack Weil's screams at the end, just sound full of futility and fatalism, in many ways mirroring the pinch harmonic squeals emanating from his guitar. Just perfect!

Bury Me With My Money, that follows, is a straightforward no messing 90 seconds of unadulterated glorious thrash. Hippie Speedball, in contrast, has a doom-laden intro and final coda, which attempts to lay waste to the song. It's an impossible task though, as melodic hammer guitar riffs are pushed hard, by some really dynamic thrash rhythms, through the core of the song. Zack's line of lyrical desperation 'I can't wake up', epitomises the songs juxtaposition of a functioning life clashing with the impact of addiction.

When the Walls Fell, clocking in at over seven minutes, really allows the band to stretch out and transcend the usual basic thrash song architecture. A stamping guitar motif, surrounded by lots of sustain, gradually increases in volume, evolving into a classic dynamic rock riff, with a puncturing drum pattern, and crashing cymbals. False Peak (Earth Suck), the closing track, has a similarly generous time frame to develop in. It commences with a piecing guitar sound, and then hits a great thrash groove. About a third of the way in, it completely switches musical focus, with a momentous rolling buzz riff taking over, underneath which Kyle Reynolds does some amazing stuff across his drum kit, almost a thrash drum solo! A stunning way to close the album.

This is thrash with a precision attack, that encompasses a music palette that genuinely crosses over, with riffs that remind you of classic Led Zeppelin, and melody and other influences such as doom, given plenty of room to breathe.

A great listen, and apparently, though hard to believe, recorded in only three days.