Simon Rushworth
Cut Up – Forensic Nightmares (Metal Blade)
Genre: Death Metal
Formed from the ashes of Swedish deathsters Vomitory, Cut Up aren’t about to reinvent the DM wheel with Forensic Nightmares – and you get the impression that was never on the agenda in the first place.
Their debut is a blood soaked, savage slice of death metal which never strays too far from its brutal (and rather simplistic) path, with songs like A Butchery Improved pummelling you into the dust and Brain Cell Holocaust bringing a malevolent groove to proceedings.
Which is fine. However, after repeated listens, there’s a feeling that guitarists Anders Bertilsson and Andreas Björnson could have been a little more imaginative in their riff-writing: the huge hooks which make this style of DM work are few and far between and Forensic Nighmares suffers as a result.
The delivery is classy and tight, as you’d expect from a band with plenty of collective experience, and the production suitably powerful, but Cut Up’s debut is a frustrating effort. Maybe next time…Richard Holmes
RUSHONROCK RATED: 5.5/10 Meat and potatoes