Strangled By Strangulation: EP Review

As you could probably tell from the band name, this is a tongue-in-cheek death metal band. They are very self-aware of the genre and its recurring cliches. Song titles such as “Cupcake Massacre” and “Cut, paste, copy, kill” are a testament to this fact. For better or for worse, if you listened to the music without this context, you would never know it’s a parody, because indeed they sound like most death metal bands. Strangled By Strangulation hail from California, which is also home to Ghoul, masters of metal satire. Their musical style suggests influences from bands such as Dying Fetus, Cannibal Corpse, and Deicide.

Their musicianship is spot on, characterized by breakdowns, blast beats, double kick drums, and caustic riffs. The band even acknowledges the utilization of generic gutteral growls, known amongst the metal community as cookie monster vocals.  This is brutal death metal with an influence of grind, perfect for blaring in your eardrums at 70 decibels or more.  They’re worth a listen, but admittedly they can get lost in the mix of several other death metal acts.  Three stars out of five.