DIPYGUS (USA) – ‘Dipygus’ CD

The highly anticipated 3rd full-length by this U.S. band. Since the dawn of the Paleolithic age, mankind has recorded spectacular scenes of death, whether in scenes of cannibal feasts crudely etched on cave walls, massacres immortalized in glyphs adorning monuments of the ancient kingdoms, or in chance recordings of grisly accidents, compiled and sold on home video to those with a thirst for that which is denied to them by our “civilized” society. Spawned in the contaminated sewers of Santa Cruz, California in 2013, Dipygus began as a four-piece mutation performing rudimentary styles of Death Metal, a sonic evolution of the tradition continued from the time of Cro-Magnons. A 2015 demo recording, the earliest surviving documentation of the band, reveled in unexplained and bizarre events, including peculiar methods of whale carcass disposal and otherworldly monsters from on and off the silver-screen. After a lineup change in 2016, Dipygus recorded the “Long Pig Feast” EP, which featured terrifying rites, ritual mutilations and ominous sightings of a Mesozoic relic in the heart of the Congo. Their debut album, “Deathooze”, slowly de-composed in the murky shallows of powerplant runoff in the Monterey Bay, ultimately being recorded in 2018. Though quickly banned in over 16 countries, Dipygus´ debut album attracted immediate attention among slime fetishists and similarly deviant circles. Placed appropriately alongside the Fiji mermaids and other grotesque artefacts found in curio cabinets of modern-day antiquarians, “Deathooze” continued the band´s exploration of inexplicable incidents, mysterious beasts and shocking carnage, including genuine audio recovered from a fatal attack at the hands of an ape gone mad! Following their debut album, Dipygus was conjoined with an additional member, and began a new exploration in search of secrets hidden in the jungles of lost continents, where life is cheap. After successful initiation into the shadowy world of black-market cuisine, an agreement was reached with Memento Mori for the release of the band´s second full-length, “Bushmeat”. Showcasing more exotic and repulsive themes of the supernatural and taboo, “Bushmeat” presented an uncensored and unrelenting spectacle, with each element of the previous work irresponsibly taken to a further extreme. A prime cut of raw and grueling terror, it was fit for consumption by headhunters, body-snatchers, toad-venom junkies, cargo cultists, aquatic ape theorists, disaster tourists, carriers of tropical disease, voodoo practitioners and orgone revivalists only. All others having since been warned, Dipygus return to time primordial with an elegantly self-titled third album. Suitably graced with evocative cover art courtesy of Hayden Hall, Dipygus thrusts the helpless listener into a psychedelic jungle of grisly delights. At 10 songs in 41 minutes, the quartet qualify their most lengthy recording yet with maximum delirium and characteristically crushing execution. Everything here feels massive -tone, feel, supernatural aura- yet somehow simultaneously exhibits a spacious quality that´s unsettling to the Nth degree. Perhaps that´s due to Dipygus´ increasingly twisted songwriting, neither “tech” nor improvisatory, but a certain “elevated caveman” aspect that pushes primitivism toward mind-bending ends. Fleeting-yet-haunting leads also play a part in Dipygus´ menagerie of malodorousness, exacerbating the psychotic reactions in their humid, hellish jungle, and even touches of way-back synths get mangled within, melting into the fuckton heaviness of Dipygus´ riffing. Ever wanna hear the most tripped-out moments of Autopsy, Impetigo and especially Nuclear Death taken to their ILLogicial conclusion? Then enter Dipygus´ self-titled album… if you dare!