The sound of Sanguisugabogg is very much rooted in old-school death metal. They cite Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower, and Obituary as influences but I also hear smatterings of Suffocation, Mortician, Cannibal Corpse, and Autopsy. The lyrics and imagery are over the top but the band projects a playful vibe throughout the album not taking themselves too seriously. They recently partnered with legendary over the top gore-movie makers Troma Entertainment to produce videos for the first two tracks on the album, “Menstrual Envy” and “Gored in the Chest” and much of this record sounds like it would work well on a soundtrack to one of their movies. Adding more to the 80s horror movie atmosphere are the tracks “Pornographic” and “Interlube” which are both instrumental synth pieces and fit nicely into the overall flow of the album when listened to as a whole. Something about the vocals of Devin Swank, the brutal chugging of a lot of the riffs, and just the overall vibe of the record also brought to mind Dethklok, the fictional death metal band featured in the Adult Swim animated television series Metalocalypse. Watching the video for the song “Dead As Shit” I wouldn’t be surprised if the band were also fans of the show.

Except for the drums the album was recorded in the band’s home studio in much the same way as the demo. The production suits the material here very well though my one gripe with the recording would be that the snare drum veers dangerously close to St. Anger territory with its persistent pinging sound. That aside, this is a good record if you’re a listener that can enjoy music like this that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s plenty of heavy, sludgy riffs but also hooks and gross-out gore humour throughout the album with the accompanying videos only enhancing this experience. It’s a fun listen.

Pre-Order Tortured Whole by Sanguisugabogg HERE