UMUR "Earth-Sick" is the 4th full-length studio album by Italian death metal act Gory Blister. The album was released through Bakerteam Records in April 2012.

The music on the album is technical death metal played by musicians fully capable of executing technical music on this level. The vocals are brutal growling (with the occasional higher pitched sneer) and a bit monotone, but they get the job done. The sound production is powerful and professional. Loads of tempo changes and technical drumming, fast and challenging riffing and well played guitar solos are some of the ingredients that make up "Earth-Sick". I think I hear influences from Death (the band) a couple of times during the playing time, but Gory Blister are by no means a clone type band.

At 33:45 minutes "Earth-Sick" isn´t a very long release, but the material on the album are quality technical death metal through and through. I could have wished for a more personal sound that might have helped set Gory Blister apart from the technical death metal pack, but fans of the genre probably won´t agree with me. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Time Signature Superior MetalEthics...

Genre: prog-tech death metal

Gory Blister is one of many metal bands on the bustling Italian scene, and definitely one of the most interesting acts hailing from that part of the world, and now they are ready to punish your ear-drums with a new release.

After an intro that sounds more like something from a hard-edged 80s AOR-album, the title track of the album kicks in, revealing the true style of Gory Blister's Earth-Sick - namely, prog-tech death metal of the more brutal kind – without really being all out brutal death metal, I think (to be honest, Gory Blister's brand of death metal is much better than your average typical brutal death metal release). Technical indeed and even progressive, the tunes on this album are, however, not overly noodling like some other tech death metal, and stylistically, I think they have more in common with the likes of Atheist, Death, Sectu, and Neuraxis than with, say, Obscura, Necrophagist, or Brain Drill. Drawing on complex song structures, Gory Blister insert several shifts and changes into each track on the album, combining blasting brutal death with grooves, aggressive thrash elements, the occasional old school death metal reference, and dissonant chords into their own style. Moreover, a track like "Dominant GenEthics" even takes a symphonic direction. So, yes, this is an incredibly dynamic album, which, while varied, is also very consistent and focused.

One thing that I really like about this album is, apart from the dynamics and technically advanced yet contained playing, is the nature of the guitar solos. Rather than being all out chaotic and shreddy, as is otherwise typical of death metal, the guitar solos often have an almost rock-ish and classic metallish feel to them, which is often combined with advanced and impressive solo techniques, often bordering on being virtuous. Indeed, the istrumental aspect of this album is monumentuous. On the other hand, I am not a big fan of the style of growling used on this album, but I can definitely live with it, as it does not detract from my positive experience of the music itself.

A massive prog-tech death metal effort, Earth-Sick is recommended to fans of the likes of Death, Atheist, Sectu, and Neuraxis. It is challenging. It is technically advanced. It is dynamic. And, still, it is quite accessible to fans of death metal in general who might not be into the overly technical and noodling variety of death metal. In other words, this is simply quality death metal!

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)