Though I have been pretty harsh on most of the Pathos Productions releases, due to the not quite as archaic sound of many of the labels releases, this debut album from Holland’s Desensitised is one of the labels better efforts.

Though not purely old school-y, Virus of Violence is a chunky throwback European death metal record; sample laden, groovy, down-tuned with a hint of melody and still brutal, this album delivers the thunder with aplomb, despite being a pretty obscure release. The production is ample and the dominant vocals of Wilbert Janssen are forceful, and the songs are all damn solid if unspectacular. With influences from pretty much every significant death metal or grindcore album of the early 1990s (especially from their homeland-Sinister, Gorefest, Occult, God Dethroned, etc), Desensitised are not about to change the genre with their style and lyrics, but certainly add a respectable chunk.

Enjoyable yet disposable racks like “Religious Slaves”, “Struggling Existence”, “Blind Allegiance” and the surprisingly melodic “Introspective Exploration” and “Foetus in Fetu” buzz with Susan Gerl’s solid guitar work and get to the point with short sharp bursts of heft and blast that got my head banging pretty continuously.

You could do far worse than Virus of Violence if you were looking for a no name, surprisingly solid death metal record. It’s just a pity the band recently announced they were on hold as I would actually looking forward to hearing more as they grow and develop.

[Visit the band's website]

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