Gore Machine, from Philadelphia, returns with album number two – Congealed and Foaming. The debut from two years ago, Macerated & Liquified, was a pretty good brutal death metal album. Just like that one, this is a one-man show with Druesome doing it all. The first album cover was fun and gruesome, however this album cover is hysterically amazing. Not the kinda place you wanna be seen at 1 am or any other time for that matter. Very clever and kudos for coming up with an original cover.

10 songs in 30 minutes with easy-to-remember song titles. “Shish Kabobs” begins with a hysterical spoken word intro that gets right into a mid-paced, super heavy moment. Vocals are extremely guttural, with breathy tones and possibly a pitch shifter. Forget it if you think you will pick out any words, syllables, or adverbs – it’s not going to happen. The song has a great lead guitar riff, and then there are some double-pounding drums, getting into blasts. I believe the drums are programmed, you can tell, but they fit the music.

“Road Safety Certification” starts with the same guy talking, with the same voice alteration, and it’s again tongue-in-cheek. Maybe Druesome is doing these parts. Regardless, it’s funny AF. More mid-paced filth then erupting into blasting with, believe it or not, some guitar harmonies. For reference, some types of bands having this sludgy guitar sound include Mortician, Undergang, Rottrevore, and Dehumanized. While this song is blasting, we get blips and sounds, and a truck’s horn is thrown in there, which goes perfectly with the song title. The song slows down a bit, and the filthy vocals are ever-present.

“Stunt Double” has more hysterical spoken words moments about the fella being upset about the “poor dead bastard with his one eye bugging out and brains all over the floor….”, which is too much. I would assume, at this point, the storyteller works in a morgue. More mid-paced heaviness with a really good guitar tone, then a guitar solo comes in. The solo is just ok, nothing to write home about, then the blasting comes in. The blast moments are rather sloppy, so now I am unsure if the drums are programmed, but if they are, the fast moments are programmed kinda sloppy, not tight and messy sounding. The band excels with the slower, heavier moments, not the fast parts.

“Dirt Devil” is about the vacuum of the same name, doing some damage. Omg, absolutely hysterical. The slow riffs are accompanied by a pinch harmonic early on. The vocals are just part of the instrumentation with the gurgles, the vomits, and the filth. We get some weird moment where parts of the instruments are isolated, some sound effect tossed in, then the blast comes. The blast is actually very good, and the song slows back down with the sludgy riff, and the alternating between galloping and blast beats is quite excellent.

Congealed and Foaming is a better album than the debut. Gore Machine concentrated a bit more on the guitar tone and, in doing so, has created an excellent sound experience. The band achieves more of its power during the slower and galloping moments. When the band plays at the galloping pace, it’s exceedingly heavy and reminds me of Mortician in parts. The tongue-in-cheek sounds, spoken word intros, and song titles show death metal can be brutal and still laugh-out-loud fun. I appreciate Druesome taking the piss outta the seriousness of death metal and concentrating on making a fun and heavy album. Give this one-man band a try – pretty cool.

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