Album Review: Extermination Dismemberment - Dehumanization Protocol

Unique Leader Records, founded and ran by technical/brutal death metal icons Deeds of Flesh, have built a diverse line-up on their label. With amazing tech-death bands like Cytotoxin and Soreption to heavy and slamming deathcore like Vulvodynia and The Breathing Process. I am a huge fan of this label and have yet to be disappointed with any of the bands they sign.

One of my new favorite slam/brutal death metal bands on the label and one of their newest signings is Belarus’ Extermination Dismemberment. Their third record, and their Unique Leader debut, Dehumanization Protocol release a heavy, destructive record that listening to it makes it sound like they are playing in the background while Terminators are attacking the Earth and chaos runs rampant.

This record is on such a grand scale that makes them stand out from a lot of modern slam/death metal. “Dehumanization Protocol” sets the grand stage this record is going to bring. The drums, played by Denis Poluyan, who shines throughout this record, has his snare punch hard in the mix. With slamming riffs throughout the track by Arseny Kovalchuk and choir vocals over his deep death metal vocals, this album gets so heavy but yet so different with the themes of robots attacking and screams mixed with gutturals and blast beats and then goes into a stank-face inducing breakdown that just hits the listener hard and bringing the slam.

The track “Protonemesis” has an awesome intro, which musically reminds of fellow death metal up and comers Sanguisugabogg before the musical interlude break. With so much going on in the track with robots, screaming, crescendo building orchestration and choir adding to the track, this release sets them apart from a lot of the releases in 2023. The breakdowns on this record are insanely low and definitely a slow headbang. The pig squeal breakdown in “Terror Domination” just hits so hard and then when you think its over, they go EVEN lower and EVEN slower, making me just instant stank-face and just enjoy the power of the slam that this band brings.

Songs like “Omnivore” give you layers of gutturals on the opening and insane double bass throughout the track. It even sounds like they are trying to summon Satan with chanting during the halfway mark of the song. It’s already a war with robots and chaos in the background, do we need to bring Satan into this? Yes……yes, we do.

The album’s closer “Corpsepit” brings a unique techno element to the closer, adding a subtle synth section in the mix along with the chugging riffs. You think it wouldn’t work, but it totally does surprisingly. I was chanting along during the chorus trying to go as low as I can, but I can’t compete with the vocals on this album, so low and the layering on the record just makes it more demonic sounding. I just love the layers of gutturals on this album. Also, if layers of gutturals is not a band name, it needs to be.

Overall, Extermination Dismemberment is an insanely good record, with so much layers of musicianship in the vocal delivery, the insane drumming throughout the album, the layering with robots, war, chaos, and even some techno, it all works. This band is one to look out for in the slam community and definitely a modern-day slam classic.

TRACK LISTING

1) God Help Us

2) Dehumanization Protocol

3) Terror Domination

4) Protonemesis

5) Plague in The Guise of Flesh

6) Omnivore

7) Extermination Factory

8) Agony Incarnate

9) Humanity's Last Grief

10) Sentenced To Extinction

11) Ruins of Armageddon

12) Corpsepit

SCORE:  10 / 10

Released: 05/05/2023

Label: Unique Leader Records

FFO: Abominable Putridity, Ingested, Party Cannon