Severe Torture is a Dutch band playing US styled Death Metal. The style made popular, or made stagnant, depending on your point of view, by bands like Cannibal Corpse and Deicide. True enough, Severe Torture sound a lot like Cannibal Corpse; in fact, they are almost clones except for perhaps one or two subtle differences.

Misanthropic Carnage is a 9 song, 30 minute brutal attack of Death Metal. Yes, we’ve heard it before, however, I must say the musicianship and song writing is at a high level. It’s not too often that a band almost completely copies another band, yet the band doing the copying has better songs. I do enjoy Cannibal Corpse, but song per song Misanthropic Carnage is a better than most of the Cannibal Corpse releases. So for that reason, this should be appeal to most fans of Florida Death Metal. Essentially, the songs found on here are very fast with blast beats mixed about half and half with double bass. Most of the riffs are also fast, but as typical with bands like this, sludgy mid-paced guitars are used over fast drumming occasionally… much like Deicide. The result adds a good dimension to the songs when used; the best examples would be Meant To Suffer and Castrated. Also present is some cool bass guitar work that admittedly, Cannibal Corpse does use, but in my opinion Severe Torture do it better.

Production wise this is almost perfect for Death Metal. The guitars are heavy, the drums powerful, and the bass audible, but I also think the band realizes that heaviness doesn’t necessarily equal good, so this is where those quality song arrangements and change ups come in. The vocals are probably the weak point. They are the typical cookie cutter style and while the phrasing is well done at places, I’ve heard much better. With that being said though, the drumming is very precise and the guitars crush and pummel at every turn.

I suppose some of you won’t like this simply because it is unoriginal. But if you’re a hardcore Death Metal fan and can’t get enough of the US style, then this band and CD is definitely worth your time because the song writing is clever if not a tad expected and completely brutal and violent. Likewise, if you’re more finicky or don’t like this style to begin with run far, far away, and don’t look back.