Review: “They Slime! They Ooze! They Kill!” by Slug Gore

Do you like tales of giant killer slugs, death, violence and impending doom? Do you thrive on Hardcore attitude and arrogant Death Metal growls? Do you pray for razor sharp old school riffage and dirty aggressive bass? Well Slug Gore could be the band for you! Formed in 2022 by vocalist Andrea Salvatore “Sbocco” Parisi and drummer Daniele “Danny” Faccani who were both part of Chainraw alongside guitarist Alessandro Fuoco and bassist Pietro “Amianto” Gessaroli, the Deathgrind outfit hail from Ravenna, Italy. After dropping debut EP “Extraterrestrial Gastropod Mollusc” they spent their first year tearing Europe a new garbage disposal hole, playing more than 30 shows with everyone from Party Cannon to Carcass as well as playing a festival run…

Remember the Nintendo Gameboy? Well Fabio Bortolotti aka Kenobit is a specialist in creating Gameboy soundscapes and he provides the apocalyptic tale “Post Nuclear Big Smile” with a fitting introduction piece that says something wicked comes this way… before the band tear down your blue skies with burst of domestic violence. It’s controlled chaos with Sbocco spitting venom over a breakneck rhythmic assault on the senses, which is a re-occurring theme throughout the record; the savage vocals of “Demented Cricket” accompanied by blast beats galore as the band get heavier and more aggressive with a Napalm Death influence shinning through their dark thoughts. Hardcore Punk is channelled into the Death Metal mix with the brutal “Overthrow The Surface“, a cut which bleeds low budget horror movie inspirations. A vicious little ditty, it has the kind of addictive barb hooked main riff that infects your brain like a parasite and refuses to leave and the same can be said of “The Dust Says You’re Fucked“. Sbocco announces the tune as if the band are playing it live, describing it as “demented fight music” and he’s not wrong as this chainsaw wielding finishes on a savage downtempo breakdown that will snap necks for miles around; it’s that good.

Like Goose and Maverick in Top Gun, Slug Gore feel the need, the need for speed and deliver the crushing the groove laden “Necrophiliattitude” with the afterburners firing. Reminiscent of an old school Sepultura cut thanks to the rough edges and Cavalera inspired vocals from Sbocco, this stone cold winner is the equivalent of a former lover. It has that familiarity that invites you in, then beats you in the head before sending you on your merry way. A four second burst of violent turbulence, “Salt” feels like it’s been cut out of the middle of another track but it has an all important “Bleigh!” moment that introduces “Wake Up Dead” perfectly. Far from a Megadeth cover, if anything this one returns to the Death Thrash influences of the earlier cuts and the gang chanted title is going to go down a storm live. Film samples add a spice that’s nice, helping break up the savage nature of this onslaught before “Stuck in the Mud” powers through like a chainsaw; the band taking a spray and pray approach with a scream-a-long chorus. The beauty of the record is that it’s straightforward old school fun, it doesn’t take time to calculate infinity before getting into the mosh pit to throw your friends around, but it’s also clever. Slug Gore have found the ability to make every second count on this with their short, fast compositions having maximum impact.

Fiore Stravino of Fulci comes out to play on “The Deadly Spawn” and it finds Slug Gore increasing the intensity of their offering as Danny delivers a kit performance to write home about. A track with incredible ebb and flow which tells the tale of the ominous variety, it finds the band making great use of slick transitions between pummelling moments of blast beats and crushing guitar work to give us that sinister edge we crave. A sub 30 second blast, “50K” hits the nail on the head when to comes to that raw Death Metal sound but blink and you’ll miss it before “Primal Rules” takes hold. Featuring a guest appearance from Golem of Gore this one goes straight Slam as if Slug Gore have summoned a demon from the beyond the void and the result is enough to shift tectonic plates. If there is one cut on this album that feels like a submission to play Obscene Extreme Festival, then it’s this one. Driving down the darkness one last time “Cut At Once” brings a touch of schizophrenia to the madness and ends the record with the kind of tune that will help some breathe more easily and send others to casualty. No frills, all spills, “They Slime! They Ooze! They Kill!” is what the edge of the seat was made for [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Post Nuclear Big Smile (ft. Fabio Bortolotti aka Kenobit)
2. Demented Crickets
3. Overthrow The Surface
4. The Dust Says You’re Fucked
5. Necrophiliattitude
6. Salt
7. Wake Up Dead
8. Stuck in the Mud
9. The Deadly Spawn (ft. Fiore Stravino of Fulci)
10. 50K
11. Primal Rules (ft. Golem of Gore)
12. Cut At Once

“They Slime! They Ooze! They Kill!” by Slug Gore is out 19th April 2024 via Time To Kill Records with pre-orders available over at bandcamp.