Gutslit’s “Carnal” drags you to hell and encases you there with its breakdowns

When you’re scrolling down social media, and come across a death metal producing legend, Mark Lewis’ commenting on a band, you know you’re in for something serious.

That’s how, a couple of weeks ago, I discovered Gutslit when they released the first single of their new album “Carnal”, “Matriarch”. And how was I blown away by the sheer brutality of the band. I was compelled to go geek over their discography, as I couldn’t wait for the whole album to be out, and it made it even more wholesome to witness how the Indian band has crafted its sound and music throughout the releases.

This latest opus is the pinnacle of everything they had been doing. The riffs are flowing smoothly, slapping you here and there with a breakdown, a groovy chug, or slamming brutal passage. Front to end, this release keeps your face grinning in satisfaction, and you’re longing to jump into a moshpit.

This is not your usual brutal death metal/deathrgind music, this transcends all genres of death metal to deliver the most quintessentially brutal elements from each world. It is a crushing oeuvre, where the music is so absurdly brutal, it becomes funny, and definitely fun.

We find ourselves listening to a band where no instrument carries another, but rather everything is executed to perfection and equilibrium to deliver the goods. The vocals are haunting, and their power emphasizes the aggressiveness of the release. Benighted’s Julien Truchan attests of that, as he took part to singing on “Bind Torture Kill”, the third song on the album.

Last but not least, the production makes this piece outstanding. The guitar tone is crafted to perfection, and gives the satisfaction that it isn’t another generic guitar sound as almost every modern extreme metal band uses.