Death metal has hordes of bands that try to apply themselves too much in order to create something that can result in a standout performance, but it’s more often than not that it ends up just not going anywhere. Sometimes, all you need to go is just after the right amount of balls with the right attitude to just go for it in order to create something worth listening to. Despite not doing anything new whatsoever for the style, Undead’s new album is a visceral listen whose power and presence should not be underestimated for any second of this ripper of an album.

I was really hoping for some horror movie-themed death metal much like in the vein of Heads for the Dead when I saw that cover art and its layout, but that’s not quite what we get here as Undead go for a much more unhinged approach to death metal that we can view as a good bit familiar for anyone whose ever took their time to comb even a little bit of the underground. With a very fitting title, “Existential Horror” dives right into the scariest parts of the humane psyche and soul as each track is an unrelenting lesson in human fear with an absolute shit-ton of speed to call its own as Undead chugs along in all nine tracks that give this roughly half-hour-long album a vicious presence that never once lets up. These are songs that are meant to be played at maximum volume because even though the whole of “Existential Horror” doesn’t bring much innovation to the dense realm of death metal, it’s how well Undead has executed such a simple approach that really does this record justice time after time as it’s all but infectious with how well Undead devastates our ears with a corrosive brand of death metal that is just as satisfying as it is unyielding in its ferocity.

We’ve all seen works like this from numerous acts that have sprouted out of the underground for several years now, but that doesn’t take away a single ounce of power that Undead brings to the table with this album as their simple style absolutely dominates for all of these nine ripping tracks. Halloween is the perfect date for “Existential Horror” to drop with its ventures into the darkest fears of humankind that are always ripe for exploration and, more importantly, exploitation.

“Existential Horror” releases on October 31st via Godz ov War Productions!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Existential Horror” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Undead on Facebook here.