Review: “Sacrificial Gore” by Trench Foot 

The stench of rotting flesh that is Trench Foot is the old school Death Metal project of multi instrumentalist Joe Bradly who handles vocals, guitars, bass and drum programming from a dank basement dwelling in Liverpool. At the height of the summer Stumpgrinder Records put out his debut EP “Sacrificial Gore“, an entirely DIY affair that slots perfectly into the low budget category of records with cult following as it follows in the footsteps of bands like Twitch Of The Death Nerve. The thing about such records is usually that that they have the ability to push things that bit further than shall we say, more commercial offerings because they have no desire to appeal to the masses, instead choosing the left land path less travelled and to remain in the shroud of darkness and mystery while providing us with something grewsome to listen to…

…Every good gore filled horror film needs something to set the scene and when it comes to it “Sacrificial Gore” is the audio equivalent of that with a wealth of samples breathing life into it’s rotting corpse. The journey down the yellow brick road of vomit inducing nastiness starts with “A Prelude To Gore“, a chunky instrumental with buzzsaw riffs setting a menacing overtone for what is to come before “Drowned In Offal” introduces vocals that sound like a the moans of a beast from the black depths crawling through the remains of the day at a butchers shop in a vague attempt to escape certain death. Bradley’s vocal style is certainly different, a collection of groans that a times lack the gutting edge but have an almost ghostly quality that is sinister and makes you feel uneasy. Like the best Old School Death Metal demo tapes, this one is has the intensity and pacing to carry it off despite the drum machine’s slightly flat sounding rapid fire bursts. Fortunately those aren’t beyond the realms of a drummer of flesh and bone so if Bradley ever wanted to build a band and take these songs to the next level by performing these songs live, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility and as the chamber fills with blood it becomes clear that he could make his way to Maryland Death Fest should he so desire. All the raw (or should that be rare?) ingredients are here with “Canine Mutilation” being the best saved until last; a rip roaring groove laden affair that sounds like it cuts from a 1960’s black and white horror film murder scene into the kind of riff fest that we all want to hear [7/10]

Track listing

1. A Prelude To Gore
2. Drowned In Offal
3. Cannibal Castration
4. Canine Mutilation

Sacrificial Gore” by Trench Foot is out now via Stumpgrinder Records and available over at bandcamp

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