Plasmodulated – An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell (Human Filth Metal for the New Florida)

 

Let the official proclamation hereby be stated: the Florida death metal scene may be undergoing a renaissance. Death metal in the region has simmered with a familiar, if potent, consistency for years now, trapped in the amber of its 1990s progressive death metal glory. And while some may raise fists in my presence, the undeniable truth is this: a style, once cemented, often dampens newness. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of OS acts still maintain our interest in the Sunshine State’s metal community, but sometimes we need a fresh disease to churn the stagnant mire of convention. And it seems my unstated prayers to the elder gods of Florida death metal have been answered by newcomers Plasmodulated, who, with their debut full-length, An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell, have bloated their putrid pile of tradition to bursting, yet the pus is new! My personal test for modern death metal’s potency is, at times, its ability to defy geographical expectation. I could have sworn this mess came straight from some crypt in Flanders, or Finland perhaps, yet it somehow spawned from the sun-baked, alligator-infested swampy ass of Florida. Forget “Alligator Alcatraz” and choose this, should you desire a more compelling way to offend friends and family.

   

Plasmodulated’s sound is confidently steeped in bodily fluids and an unyielding thematic devotion to putridity, so thumbs up there, but let’s go further. While rooted in the traditional style of progressive decay found frequently in Florida death metal, their true genius lies in the delightfully unexpected mutations found in An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell. Solos tear through the grime with a familiar, warped Floridian progression, yet occasional synthwork weaves a horrific, sci-fi delirium beneath the guttural assault. We find instead of pure progression a grotesque stitching together of gore metal’s gruesome fixation, grind’s frenetic chaos, and doom’s crushing weight. Plasmodulated deftly blur the lines between subgenres to forge a truly bloated, yet astonishingly vital testament to human filth as art for the hydra that is Florida death metal. The result is less a simple album that one would expect, which regurgitates the essence of its predecessors while simultaneously birthing a brand-new head for a scene long overdue for revitalization. A concise, potent dose of depravity, this was, unequivocally, a disturbingly delightful rip into the organs.

 

Plasmodulated Official Instagram

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Plasmodulated – An Ocean ov Putrid, Vile, Disgusting Hell
Dawnbreed Records, Gurgling Gore, Personal Records
Cover Art: gruesomegraphx (Nev Michael)
4.5 / 5