Hellfire and damnation, it’s good to have Bones back! Here at our putrid site we devoted attention to both of their previous albums — the self-titled debut in 2011 and Sons of Sleaze in 2013 (“It’s a monster of an album”, we wrote, “but the kind of monster you’ll want to curl up with on those long, lonely nights when having something’s teeth in your neck is what you need”). That second album was also the source of a song (“13”) we named to our list of 2013’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs, which we described as follows: “It’s got that ugly, corrosive guitar tone — so thick, murky, and radioactive that you’ll feel like showering after hearing the song, even though you know all your skin will come off and wash down the drain. Great vocal disgorgement, too, and the riffs… just murderous”.
But wow, 2013 was a long time ago, so long ago that Bones might have fallen prey to “out of sight, out of mind” syndrome were it not for the fact that those first two albums didn’t wear out their welcome. But after those six long years these crusty death metal barbarians from Chicago have returned at last with a new album — and it’s fantastic (that’s not a shock, but it is a relief to know that they haven’t lost a step, and have instead taken some steps forward). The album’s name is Diseased, and it will be released on September 20 by Transcending Obscurity Records.
All of that is a long-winded way of explaining that we are damned happy to be presenting the premiere of a song from the new album, and it’s a great example of what makes the music of Bones stand out.
Transcending Obscurity underscores the new album’s “raw, visceral energy” and the music’s “innate sense of pulsating groove that is detrimental to your physical wellbeing”, in addition to emphasizing that this is some of the filthiest death/crust you can find. And this new song, “Stench of the Deceased” is indeed a filthy bastard, but it’s a lot more than that too.
The drumming on this track threatens to steal the whole show. It’s such an extravagant tumbling, rumbling, battering presence, which manages to be both maniacal and carefully calculated to get your pulse jumping fast and hard. The vocals, as we knew they would be, are unhinged and scorching, bringing to mind what the offspring of Martin van Drunen and a panther might sound like, if it were possessed by a demon. That thick, dirty string tone is also back in full force.
As for the song itself, it includes brazen chords that sometimes ring out like horn fanfares. As bruising as the track is, there’s an anthem-like quality to it. But make no mistake, it is indeed a mean bruiser, transforming into a destructive juggernaut of sound accented by flares of vicious tremolo’d riffing, demented moaning guitar flurries, and sharp shrieking arpeggios. On top of all that, it’s a catchy piece of nastiness too.
To remind you, Bones are:
Joe Warlord (Usurper) – Drums, percussion, vox
Carcass Chris (ex-Usurper) – All guitars, vox
Jon Necromancer (Doomsday, ex-Usurper) – Bass, vox
The great cover art was again created Matt “Putrid” Carr (Undergang, Hooded Menace), and credit for the layout and art direction goes to Francesco Gemelli (Master, Paganizer). Transcending Obscurity recommends the album for fans of Autopsy, Abscess, Repulsion, Fetid, Come Back From The Dead, Goregang, and Crawl.
Check out our premiere below, along with a stream of the previously released track “Carrion Crows“.
PRE-ORDER:
https://bonesdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/
https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.de/shop-en (Europe)
https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/ (U.S.)
BONES:
https://facebook.com/Bones-Chicago-113666132032091
TRANSCENDING OBSCURITY:
http://tometal.com/
https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords
TRACK LIST:
1. Blood, Diarrhea, and Tears
2. Mass Graves
3. Carrion Crows
4. Diseased
5. Stench of the Deceased
6. No One Matters
7. Down
8. Boozer
9. Broken Wheel
10. Crucifier
11. The Future is Now