IMPALED - The Last Gasp
November 20, 2007, 17 years ago
(Willowtip)
This review originally began with all sorts of hyperbole, but the jargon voluntarily hit the cutting room floor while I was editing, and so here's the straight deal: delivering what is no doubt its fiercest and most straight-forward record yet, Impaled has removed the jokey wink-of-the-eye that graced previous albums (which are all strong in their own right, especially 2002's classic Mondo Medicale) and has simplified, writing a death/grind effort that has a linear, zoned-in focus on achieving its maximum velocity end-point. You kind of get the feeling that there might be some extra anger in the Impaled camp for whatever reason (but that's just pure speculation) which could have contributed to this newfound let's-get-the-job-done precision. But, like, that doesn't really matter, because The Last Gasp is a highly organized force that take pains not to mess around. Impaled's newfound refusal to ironically re-enact surgeries gone horribly wrong (an endearing hallmark of previous output) is a bit jarring at first, however it indicates that these California mavens are seemingly starting to take the high road towards the double-edged sword known as maturity (minus that old school cover art, of course).
