If you’re a death metal fan, one of the Dutch scene in particular, you’ve likely heard of the band Prostitute Disfigurement.  In addition to their catchy name, they’ve managed to produce some pretty good albums.  The last one of theirs I got into was 2008’s Descendants of Depravity, but then the band broke up in 2010, having reformed for their newest output, their fifth full length From Crotch to Crown.

Right from the first track, it’s obvious their style is firmly rooted in the Cannibal Corpse-Deicide realm of the death metal world.  Chunky riffs, driving double bass, and semi-decipherable death growls from long time vocalist Niels Adams.  You get a ripping, Morbid Angel style solo almost a minute into opener “Only Taste for Decay”, but overall the first three tracks are pretty much copy and paste death metal fare.  It’s not until the fourth track, “Dismember the Transgender”, with its massive Kataklysm-esque opening groove, where the band starts to open up a little bit.  You get some killer blasts and raging double bass from drummer Michiel van der Plicht, which all comes together for easily the best song on the whole album.  “Under the Patio” and the title track follow in the same frantic style and intensity.

The rest of the songs tend to kind of run together, with the exception of new guitarists Martijn Moes and Mike Ferguson, who trade off some really nice solos and blend a nice technical lean to the album.  Outside of that, the vocal style tends to get stale, as do the lyrics which center on the (way over-used) subject of rape and violence against women.

This is overall just a pretty average death metal album, and nothing that I feel will put this band back on the map.  I personally preferred the more brutal style of Descendants, but there are likely plenty out there who will feel different.  Give it a listen and judge for yourself.

[Visit the band's website]

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