Review: Fulci ‘Duck Face Killings’

If you fancy listening to something bright and cheerful, then you are probably best avoiding Duck Face Killings, the latest release from Italian death metallers Fulci as their fourth album, and their first long-player for the prolific 20 Buck Spin, is, well, nothing but gory gruesome goodness that is set out to be as grisly as possible.

Named after the infamous Italian director Lucio Fulci, who created many horror and exploitation films which left an indelible impression on the band, each album is a concept and tribute based on one of his films. For this latest bloodthirsty offering, they have chosen one of Lucio’s most depraved and reviled films, 1982’s The New York Ripper.

The movie was described as a nihilistic vision of hell on Earth and the music reflects this from the off, with Vile Butchery being full of evil intent. The band offer the occasional respite, with the one-minute synth musings off A Blade In The Dark before it’s back down to breakneck speed death metal with the wonderfully title Fucked With A Broken Bottle.

There are fourteen songs on the album, and it lasts just under thirty-three minutes, so there is no messing about, just a barrage of captivating riffs from Dome Diego and Ando Ferraiulo on guitars, low-pitched guttural vocal patterns from frontman Fiore Stravino, scintillating bass hooks from Klem Diglio and thunderous pummellings from drummer Edo Nicoloso.

Their songwriting is fixated on creating the most violent and sharpened music possible to convey the film’s extreme savagery…

Their songwriting is fixated on creating the most violent and sharpened music possible to convey the film’s extreme savagery, songs like Morbid Lust and Maniac Unleashed do this in abundance as it is dripping in ominous commentary. I don’t quite understand the interlude Knife as it has that ‘90s rap/metal crossover feel to it before the gruff vocal takes over, but Slashereality gets us back to where we belong, with another disturbing riff in another wicked song.

One of the joys of this album are the song titles, as they reflect the nature of the film and the psychotic killer’s intent as he hunts his victims with remorseless perversity. There’s one shrill guitar moment in Human Scalp Condition that even made me turn round and think that somebody was in the room with me. They keep the relentless pace going with the title track Duck Faced Killings and follow this up with the harrowing Rotten Apple and the graphic Sadistic Murder.

We enter the finishing straight with another eerie and haunting interlude called Lo Squartatore before we get back to the core business of brutality and depravity with the excellent Stabbed, Gutted And Loved which has a solo dripping in murderous glory before the final spooky and menacing instalment that is Il Miele Del Diavolo which wraps up the album beautifully.

If you are a fan of brutal death metal and evil horror films then this is definitely for you, if not then stay away as you’ll end up having nightmares for days after listening to this.

Label: 20 Buck Spin
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