IMPALED - The Dead Shall Dead Remain (Black Shell) (CASSETTE)

Few bands have captured the raw, festering essence of early Carcass with as much conviction as Impaled on The Dead Shall Dead Remain. A veritable love letter to the golden age of goregrind, this debut revels in its influences while injecting just enough of its own surgical precision to stand out.

Right from the start, Impaled sinks its scalpel deep into the grimy, putrid textures of Reek of Putrefaction-era Carcass, with layer upon layer of grotesque medical terminology, festering riff work, and the signature dual-vocal approach that made its British predecessors so infamous. The interplay between Sean McGrath’s shrieking highs and Leon del Muerte’s guttural lows is an exercise in calculated chaos, while Ross Sewage’s occasional contributions add even more depth to the carnage. Every track is a relentless display of buzzing guitars, gory lyrical absurdity, and breakneck tempo shifts, punctuated by the kind of clinical yet unhinged solos that harken back to Symphonies of Sickness.

Despite the obvious homage, The Dead Shall Dead Remain is more than just mimicry. Beneath the surface, Impaled brings a tighter, more structured songwriting approach, ensuring that tracks like “Trocar” and “Back to the Grave” retain an infectious, headbang-worthy momentum. The production is raw and abrasive, but it suits the filth-laden aesthetic perfectly, making every snare hit and tremolo-picked riff feel like it's echoing from the depths of a rotting morgue.

For fans of old-school death/grind, this is as close to a spiritual successor to early Carcass as one could hope for. Impaled may wear their influences on their blood-soaked sleeves, but they do so with such gleeful devotion and energy that it's impossible not to get swept up in the gore-drenched spectacle.