In terms of subtlety and nuance, brutal death represents an oil vs water scenario. Illustrating the point, Texan purveyors of repugnant, stupidly heavy slam-infected brutal death, Kill Everything, return with the charmingly titled Headless Cum Dumpster, the long-gestating follow-up to their well-received 2018 debut, Scorched Earth. Time passed has brought in changes to the band’s line-up since their thumping debut, with ex-Devourment gurgler Mike Majewski leaving the fold, bassist Mike Leach joining, and former bassist Brett Wilson switching to second guitar, teaming up with another ex-Devourment member in guitarist Brian Wynn. Scorched Earth offered solidly satisfying slams and cement-smashing riffs, featuring a clean, heavy production job and suitably gut-wrenching vocal eruptions to chunky effect. The time away has found the band devolving into a darker, danker, uglier beast, while retaining the overwhelmingly punishing aural onslaught and face-smashing slams they detonated with such impact on their debut. Seven years is an eternity in the underground realms of brutal death. Can the rejinked Kill Everything cash in on their promise on the second go around?
Kill Everything favor brevity, probably to the album’s benefit, lock, loading and firing off a whirlwind eight song beatdown, clocking-in a brisk twenty-six minutes plus change. As indicated earlier, Headless Cum Dumpster strips away the more polished sonic elements from the debut, smearing layers of grime and a rancid mass of unidentified bodily fluids across the album’s dense, gritty construction. The resulting change in production tact creates an endearingly rugged, unvarnished edge to an already feral bout of guttural extremities. “Fermented Drippings” lays out the album’s formula in unsubtly head-caving terms, riding shotgun with rugged mid-paced batterings, chunky grooves, and forceful vocal emissions. The song makes an impactful explosion to begin the album; however, it lacks a genuine hook or lasting impression, a recurring theme across the album.
While never sluggish, Kill Everything prefer to operate in murky, mid-paced terrain, aside from more chaotic, speedier numbers or urgent rhythmic shift (“Maggot Frenzy,” “Infatuated with Homicide”). Although there are standout moments, riffs, and the obnoxiously addictive power of the almighty slam at play, Headless Cum Dumpster tends to blur by in all its unsophisticated, bone-headed glory. The ingredients and performances nail the aesthetics and key points to please brutal death and slam aficionados, complete with incomprehensibly heaving, guttural vox, and classic snare tone. And when this shit is on, there is fun to be had. For instance, “Headless Cum Dumpster” mashes busy drumming and chaotic riffage with satisfyingly explosive slams, while “No Lives Matter” rumbles drunkenly along like a deranged bog monster, off-kilter rhythms and sewer-dwelling grooves erupting in a headbangable frenzy.
In the moment, Headless Cum Dumpster provides momentary enjoyment, courtesy of the band’s tight performances, emphasis on swaggering, meaty grooves, repugnant slams, and chaotically brutal attack. Several songs create a decent impact, yet despite the album’s efficiency and Kill Everything’s dedication to their craft, the writing fails to consistently rise to the occasion. The loss of Majewski is significant. Vocals in brutal death can often function as a secondary rhythmic instrument, playing second fiddle to the instrumental base. They are not often the standout feature, nor should they negatively diminish or overwhelm the dense assault. Johnny Abila’s (Mortifying Deformity, Rotting Plague) uber-deep, guttural burps lend the album a brutal punch; however, the monotonously one-dimensional performance becomes an unwelcome distraction, lacking the character and variety of his predecessor. Coupled with songwriting that is missing the immediacy, dynamics, and infectiousness of the debut, Headless Cum Dumpster falls short as a long-awaited follow-up.
Overall, Headless Cum Dumpster ticks the boxes for a rollicking good time for avid listeners of underground brutal death, with a particularly slammy profile. However, the album’s bruising underground charms, unrelenting attack, and gut-busting slams cannot substantially paper over the songwriting deficiencies, shortage of genuinely engaging moments, and subpar vocals, diminishing an otherwise solid slab of nasty underground brutality.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: July 25th, 2025
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