Album Review – Extremely Fucking Dead by Extremity (20 Buck Spin)

You may have guessed by the name but Extremity are an extreme death metal band. If the band name didn’t convince you, their debut album title, Extremely Fucking Dead, probably did it.

Hailing from Oakland, California, Extremity are a 4 piece “super group”. The band are made up from current and ex members of different and varied bands such as Vastum, Scolex, Ulthar, Ludicra, Cretin, Necrosic, and VHOL.

We have Erika Osterhout (Scolex, Femacoffin) on bass and Aesop Dekker (VHOL) on drums. They are joined by Marissa Martinez-Hoadley (Cretin) and Shelby Lermo (Ulthar) both on guitars and vocals.

While Extremely Fucking Dead is classed a s full length debut album, that is pushing it, a lot. Released on April the 7th via 20 Buck Spin, this full length is just 6 tracks long. Together they make up just under 30 minutes of music making this more of an EP or mini album.

The great thing about Extremely Fucking Dead is how absolutely unashamedly “tribute” it is. While many bands, these days, are looking to push the boundaries of death metal. Looking to expand the genre passed it’s rigid boundaries, Extremity have instead turned back the clock to death metals darker, hellish days releasing an album that sounds like it has been dug up from a long forgotten grave, overgrown grave.

With disturbing cover art in your mind, the first track – Intro (Mortuus Est Valde) is a little atmospheric builder that samples Stephen King’s Pet Semetary with the line “Sometimes, dead is better”. After that, we are mostly treated to the very best death metal’s early years had to offer.

The guitars are weighed down with distortion and reverb. Blasting drums mix between a tinny tapping sound and booming thunder and vocal ranges mix between a higher pitched demonic growl, a retching, throat ripping style and deep, ghoulish roars. The best part of Extremely Fucking Dead comes in the band’s desire to wedge as many brilliant guitar lines and solos into each song as they possibly can.

Crepuscular Crescendo has a fast picked riff over brutal vocals and drumming to let you know this is heavy and this is death but switches into an almost thrash like solo and groove rhythm. It continues to move between these styles being brutally heavy and then suddenly full of head banging rhythm.

This style appears on almost every track on the album. Chalice of Pus is predominantly a full force journey through brutality with indiscernible lyrics, a fast and loose beat and quick riff. Surprisingly it suddenly switches into a quieter, atmospheric section that is used to transition in a bluesy, Sabbath like solo which is brilliant. It leads into a slow burning, bassy section before exploding back into life with furious speed again.

The whole album brings forward these little magical moments. The intro to Bestial Destiny is gorgeous – it has so much speed, rhythm and you just have to move your head. This track also has another blues like solo with both guitars taking it in turns to play a line. Fatal Immortality is another really heavy starter with slower, deep and sludgy verses, fast choruses and a quick solo.

The best track on the album is the closer and title track, for me, Extremely Fucking Dead. It starts with typical ferocity and some of the most powerful roars and shouts on the whole album. Then it moves into a more groove section with a prominent bass and has guitar lines to die for. Both guitars just flourish here and act like little moments of freshness. They cleanse your musical palette of all the down and dirty death metal on each side of them. It’s fresh and fantastic.

Extremity are an absolute success in regards to a super group. A thing that is more likely to fail then succeed in metal. Here the band have taken what they know, looked back to what they love and put together a modern and fresh album that highlights the glory days of death metal.

It’s creative and cool. Heavy and forceful but also jam packed full of groove, rhythm and sexy guitar lines and solos. Extremely Fucking Dead may be way too short to be classed as a full album. Perhaps ten tracks like this would have been too much in the band’s opinion? Not for me – the biggest issue with this whole album is you are left wanting more and feel a little bit short changed due to the 5 tracks and 1 intro.

Having said that, the 30 minute listening time absolutely flies by because it is so good. Extremely Fucking Dead is death metal at it’s best.

Pick the album up for yourself now on all the usual streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music. You can pick up a copy from 20 Buck Spin as well. Be sure to check Extremity out on Facebook for news on future music too.