Beats and yelling: Putred

Megalit al Putrefacției
Out 20^th January on Memento Mori

Not far into this competent but generic rendition of slow, primal, backward looking death metal, I was struck by a particular guitar lead that sounded awfully familiar. I immediately looked Putred up and found that they were from Romania. Another Romanian outfit (just) made my top picks list from 2024, one Vorus, whose thrashier take on death metal was elevated by some very engaging lead guitar work, one whose strength of character bled into the melodic contouring of the music itself. Sure enough, Putred and Vorus share members.

That the lead guitar work of one Uriel Aguillon was distinctive enough to not only pinpoint a particular region, but a single individual, is a very rare thing in the modern death metal landscape. This in itself was enough to warrant closer inspection. Despite the fact that Putred don’t put their best foot forward initially on ‘Megalit al Putrefacției’, as this album unfurls a curious if generic entity of retro orientated death metal takes shape.

There is purpose, intrigue, and dynamism behind the riffs, made all the more striking by Putred’s insistence on keeping the tempo low. This indicates an artist willing to challenge themselves, burrowing into a specific reading of death metal whilst attempting to create a varied, expressive work in the process. That’s when taken against the homogeneity of much modern death metal in any case.

The package refreshes itself in bursts of vital energy held down by the sluggish plod of the rhythm section. Autopsy, early Death, and Obituary all feature as returning characters. But Putred display an overarching consciousness all their own, marshalling these elements together into a curious selection of semi-melodic semi-primitivist selections that undulate and unfold in teasingly ponderous yet persistent waves.

Much like Vorus, the lead guitar is the strongest facet of this sound. But they are not left to carry the weight of this album entirely on their shoulders. As ‘Megalit al Putrefacției’ progresses, an idiosyncratic melodic character takes shape, working in contrast to its chugging, atonal backbone. This leaves the lead guitar itself to wander into more psychedelic spaces, utilising texture, pitch, and percussion as much as individual notes to enhance particular passages. In short they elevate their surroundings.

Drums do their part by taking up the space left by the depressed tempos. They create tension and release through rippling patterns that take time to build before releasing into cacophonous waves of violent release. Extended fills labour the transition from one passage to the next, taking up room and flooding the picture with activity and life, but one born of contrast and conflict.

This in turn forces the guitars into non-linear shapes as they weave around these rhythmic tapestries, forcing their way up and down the fretboard to accommodate the unstable rhythmic foundation. Vocals are perhaps the weakest element, sticking with a low-end guttural growl defined by short runs of staccato outbursts. This proves serviceable in the context, fulfilling the job of simply being there without adding or detracting from the overall picture.

Putred leave many gaps between these stronger moments, something that may lead listeners to overlook this as another low effort work of old school stenography. But through a more careful listen, one finds that the flat link passages serve a purpose in joining the dots between moments of more profound revelation. Each track is replete with rewards and leftfield choices as much as they are moments of generic filler. The picture is off kilter and weird enough to justify some attention from the listener, over and above Aguillon’s distinctive lead guitar work.