G&P Review: Abscess/Population Reduction

Abscess/Population Reduction
Split
Tank Crimes
Heretical confession time.
Most of what’s considered classic American death metal – the shit I supposedly grew up with – bores the ever living fuck out of me. Morbid Angel can’t hold my attention (but I love Vader, so figure that one out). I listened to Cause of Death for the first time in about a decade the other day and once was pretty much enough to remind me why I sold my copy years ago. Death’s wankery bores me to tears (and I hate, Hate, HATE Chuck Schuldiner’s voice). Deicide, beyond pointing and laughing, does nothing for me. Ditto Cannibal Corpse.
The exception that always proved that rule was Autopsy, whose doomy deathy creepy crawly goodness on Mental Funeral ranks right up there with Winter for me as landmark “whoa, wait, WTF?” albums that turned me on to doom. So it’s kind of a surprise to me that I hadn’t bothered to check out Chris Reifert et al’s post-Autopsy scum punk project Abscess until now when they’ve called it quits.
Maybe I wouldn’t have waited so long if somebody had told me Abscess sorta sound like dearly departed Texan weirdoes Dead Horse (anybody remember them?). But here they are on this old-meets-new split from last year with the similarly demented Population Reduction. It’s a nice match because both bands seem to make a career out of being bizarrely provocative without devolving into cheap and tired gore tirades. Abscess queasily bookend their half of the split with “Nausea Without End” and an out of left field cover of the Pepto Bismol jingle. Everything between is just beer drenched insanity.

Abscess – “The World Insane”

As for Population Reduction, their resin-caked thrash/grind amalgam snaps, crackles and pops as they launch hilariously titled diatribes your way on “Babies are Assholes” and “Art Fucking Sucks.”

Population Reduction – “In With the Old, Out With the Cold”

Quirky, demented and listenable. That’s all I really ask.

[Full disclosure: Population Reduction kindly provided me with a review copy.]