Review: Exterminated “The Genesis of Genocide” [Comatose Music]

The Philippines’ brutal death metal duo Exterminated tear towards us with their first release, The Genesis of Genocide.

Opening with a typically haunting sample of screams and rattling chains, it’s difficult on first listen not to laugh at what sounds like Red Fox with a bad case of laryngitis delivering something that is probably supposed to be menacing but just ends up being cringey. The vocals are comically cliché in their delivery and how they sit in the mix, almost reminiscent of early Cannibal Corpse, just done badly. The drumming is the second bad thing you will quickly notice as the snare sounds like a sped-up game of table tennis, or someone repeatedly getting hit on the head with a wok, or the bucket in a spittoon filling contest in a cowboy film… you get the idea. The snare is bad, like, St. Anger bad. Actually, it’s worse. The riffs, though exquisitely delivered, are sunk right down in the mix, leaving us with the task of trying to tune out the vocals and drums in order to listen to their hefty goodness. Sadly, it makes the album almost unlistenable. Murderous Intent thankfully benefits from poor mastering as the drums are toned down more than on the other songs and the guitar is at the forefront. The call and response vocal act on Inevitable Annihilation doesn’t work as well as the duo hoped it would, as the more black-metal vocals are too quiet and not developed enough, which is a shame as it’s one of the only almost-original ideas on the album.

These poor elements distract heavily from what are some very good riffs, decent composition, and warm production. The bass is swallowed up as much as the guitar riffs and it’s even harder to discern it from the guitar in parts. The tracks are delivered at breakneck speed and with great ferocity and overall, the album is a valiant effort, if a little misguided and in need of some proper mastering. Hopefully, we’ll hear a second release before long and all of the rough edges will be polished away.

Release date: April 9, 2021

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