Review: Exploding Corpse Action ‘Inter-Dimensional Annihilation: Complete Transmissions 1995-1997’
Albany, New York was the home of Exploding Corpse Action, one of the greatest band names of all time, and a raw, sci-fi inspired death grind band that has been sadly long defunct, but we have been gifted Inter-Dimensional Annihilation: Complete Transmissions 1995-1997, a compilation of all their recorded work as well as their lost EP and some live carnage too. It’s always nice to see a legendary release unearthed for modern listeners, so thanks to Armageddon Label for this one!
With a name and description like that, you can guess pretty much where Exploding Corpse Action are coming from; ultra brutal grinding madness in the vein of Autopsy, early Carcass and the like. I always find it difficult to review these albums because it’s twenty odd songs in thirty odd minutes most of the time, and you know what you’re going to be getting. What I’m here for though is that ‘lost classic’ vibe, that desire to discover something wild and influential.
What I can tell you immediately is that Exploding Corpse Action is like Voivod filtered through Reek Of Putrefaction; an utterly manic, suffocating death grind laced with odd effects and a grim cosmic filth to it. Subsonic Torture is furious chaos, while the unsettling mania of Entombed In Space and the surprisingly melodic (well, catchy) Mass Sterilization keep you on your toes. The brutal gurgling of Liquid Nitrogen Abuse is pure Repulsion worship, while Target Earth writhes with subspace signals before brutalising you with abominable grinding riffs. Even the live stuff is surprisingly fun; normally you’d think this music live from the ‘90s is not going to sound too good, but it’s been captured really well.
like Voivod filtered through Reek Of Putrefaction…
If you ever wanted to know what the Warhammer 40k universe sounded like, it’s probably something a bit like this. Guttural, furious violence laced with weird detours and chaotic energy surging at all fronts. Granted, you may find some of it samey at times but come on, its mid ‘90s death grind, it’s not exactly Dream Theater is it? What it does, it does with an energy and an intensity that is welcomed and I’m glad that it has seen the light of day for the modern fan to get a chance to hear Exploding Corpse Action.
Inter-Dimensional Annihilation is not for the faint at heart, but it is an essential piece of death grind history. Imagine, if you will, a capsule arriving from a lost planet with messages from the aliens that are coming to eat our face. That is this release in a nutshell.
Label: Armageddon Label
Band Links: Instagram
Scribed by: Sandy Williamson
